BUILDING BRIDGES: Andrea Dinan, left, director of the PHS Ideas Center, and PHS social studies teacher Christine Carbone have led an English language Boot Camp program in the city of Merida, Mexico during spring break week over the past six years. They have forged strong alliances between their students at PHS and the school in Merida. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Dinan)

By Donald Gilpin

Andrea Dinan, director of the Ideas Center for tutoring at Princeton High School (PHS), and PHS social studies teacher Christine Carbone, spent their spring vacation week in the city of Merida, Mexico, leading an English language Boot Camp program for a high school populated mainly by Mayan and itinerant workers.

The high school, Unidad Academica Bachillerato con Interaccion Comunitaria (UABIC), helps to prepare the students to take the college entrance exam in June, and the Boot Camp program, now in its sixth year, is the outgrowth of a Fulbright Distinguished Teachers Program award that Dinan received in 2016.

The two teachers worked with UABIC students daily and coordinated a number of electronic exchanges with PHS, including live Zooms and a pen pal letter program. more

By Donald Gilpin

Avi Wigderson
(Photo by Cliff Moore, IAS)

Avi Wigderson, the Herbert H. Maass Professor in the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) School of Mathematics, has been awarded the 2023 Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) A.M. Turing Award for his groundbreaking work in theoretical computer science and the role of randomness in computation.

The Turing Award, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Computing,” comes with a prize of $1 million. Wigderson, who won the 2021 Abel Prize, considered the highest honor in mathematics, is the only person ever to have won both Turing and Abel awards.

In announcing the award, the ACM noted Wigderson’s “reshaping our understanding of the role of randomness in computation” and “his decades of intellectual leadership in theoretical computer science.”

The ACM also cited his leadership in the areas of “computational complexity theory, algorithms and optimization, randomness and cryptography, parallel and distributed computation, combinatorics, and graph theory, as well as connections between theoretical computer science and mathematics and science.” more

SAVING THE PLANET: Fourth graders at Riverside Elementary School successfully completed a year-long fundraising and tree-planting project last week, with some help from the Princeton Shade Tree Commission and the Princeton Education Foundation. (Photo by Janet Walder)

By Donald Gilpin

The fourth graders at Riverside Elementary School saw a collaborative project with the Princeton Shade Tree Commission (STC) come to fruition last week when two young trees were planted in the Riverside playground area.

The seven-month endeavor, also supported by the Princeton Education Foundation, began early last September during the fourth graders’ afternoon recess period. The playground had recently lost several trees, and five of Terry McGovern and Allie Klapsogeorge’s students decided to collect acorns and sell them in order to raise money to acquire a new tree for the playground.

McGovern suggested that they contact their local Shade Tree Commission (STC) to get some help with the project. Fortunately the Riverside in-house substitute teacher, Raymond DeVoe, also happened to be a member of the STC.  more

“BEST OF THE BEST”: Sakina Hassani, left, from Afghanistan will be completing her second master’s degree next month at Clark University and is looking to make her mark in the world of industrial psychology. With extraordinary philanthropic endeavors and much moral support, Maureen Llort, right, has assisted Hassani’s heroic journey from Afghanistan to the achievement of her educational goals in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Maureen Llort)

By Donald Gilpin

Much has been written recently about the daunting challenges of education — financial, pedagogical, political — from elementary school through college and graduate school. Our society questions relentlessly the value of education in schools and universities.

The story of Sakina Hassani, a Fulbright Scholar from Afghanistan, and her supporters, two Princeton-area nonprofit organizations in particular, might shed new light on the importance of education and what it sometimes takes to acquire that education.

Hassani, a young woman on track to complete a master’s degree in data analytics at Clark University in Worcester, Mass., next month, recalled her early education as a girl growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the early 2000s before the 2021 Taliban takeover. more

THE RIGHT TO READ: Members of Princeton Council and the Princeton Public Library’s Board posed for a picture following Council’s passage of a resolution declaring the town a Book Sanctuary. From left are Library Board Treasurer Jeffrey Liao, Councilman Leighton Newlin, Library Director Jennifer Podolsky, Board Vice President Christopher Van Buren, Councilwoman Eve Niedergang, Board President Robert Ginsberg, Councilwoman Leticia Fraga, State Sen. Andrew Zwicker, Mayor Mark Freda, and Councilman David Cohen.

By Anne Levin

At its meeting Monday night, Princeton Council passed a resolution declaring the town a book sanctuary. The action takes a stance against the significant increase in the banning of books in libraries and schools in New Jersey and across the country.

The governing body also passed an ordinance authorizing the acquisition of a 90-acre property near Herrontown Woods and the Autumn Hill Reservation, bordered by Montgomery Township, Herrontown Road, Herrontown Lane, and Mount Lucas Road. The ordinance preserves the property, which is the second largest tract of undeveloped land in the area, in perpetuity for passive open space. more

By Donald Gilpin

With the April 23 lease termination date set and Princeton University having rejected a number of appeals, it is not clear what possibilities might remain for the future of the Nassau Swim Club (NSC) — but a sizable band of devoted, outspoken NSC supporters is not giving up hope.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” reads the headline on the NSC website. “Princeton University said no, but we still have one week left.”

The University responded on Monday, April 8 to a Town Topics inquiry as to whether there had been any reconsideration of the decision “in the light of further community support voiced for NSC, a popular online petition against the termination, and additional appeals for a delay and reconsideration of the termination.” more

By Donald Gilpin

A national finalist in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM Competition, Princeton High School’s (PHS) research team of about 15 students under the direction of science teacher Mark Eastburn is heading to Washington, D.C., on April 29 to present their project to a panel of judges. Three schools will be chosen, each of which will receive a $100,000 prize package.

As one of the 10 finalists announced by Samsung on March 26 from among this year’s 50 state winners, the PHS team has already won a $50,000 prize package, including Samsung technology and classroom supplies. more

By Donald Gilpin

For the second straight year, Princeton has been designated as a Mayors Wellness Campaign Healthy Town for the state of New Jersey. 

The commendation, announced last month by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (NJHCQI), cited Princeton as one of 17 cities and towns in the state that “go above and beyond to improve health and wellness in their communities through innovative programs in areas such as exercise, healthy eating, and mental health education and awareness.”

The NJHCQI commended Princeton’s success “in offering education, strategies, and tools that residents can use in their daily lives,” noting that “community events such as a health fair provide an opportunity to partner with community organizations and share resources with residents.” more

By Donald Gilpin

Friday, March 29, marked a full year since Evan Gershkovich, a 2010 Princeton High School graduate, was detained in Russia while on assignment as a fully accredited reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He was accused of espionage and has been imprisoned at the high-security Lefortovo prison in Moscow.

The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. government, and Gershkovich himself have forcefully denied the charges. On March 26 his detention was extended for three more months. HIs trial date has not been set.  more

By Donald Gilpin

Spring has arrived in Princeton, and Sustainable Princeton wants the community to know that it’s time for a Backyard Chicken Chat, where you can learn how to raise your very own flock; Foraged Flower Art, where you can gather your materials and create your own pressed art; Jardin de Lluvia 101, a workshop in Spanish for landscapers; a Gathering for the Bike-Curious; and much more.

These multiple EcoExperiences lead up to an Earth Day Community Green Fair at Morven Museum and Garden from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, with live music, historic garden tours, lots of food, fun activities and games hosted by the Princeton Public Schools, more chickens, yoga, flowers, and chances to win prizes. more

“PRINCETON’S NATIVE SON”: Paul Robeson, scholar, athlete, singer, actor, and activist, will be celebrated next week with events at the Arts Council of Princeton (also known as the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts) on April 9 and April 13. The Paul Robeson House of Princeton is scheduled to complete reconstruction and open to the public by spring of 2025. (Photo by Encyclopedia Britannica)

By Donald Gilpin

If Paul Robeson’s name is not known by everyone in Princeton, that’s not for lack of effort on the part of the Paul Robeson House of Princeton and the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), who will be hosting two 126th birthday celebrations for Robeson in the next week and planning for completion of reconstruction and reopening of the house at 110 Witherspoon Street to the public by next spring.

“We are committed to opening this facility and having it open for business by this time next year,” said Ben Colbert, president of the board of directors of the Robeson House.  more

By Donald Gilpin

In honor of Paul Robeson’s 126th birthday, an eclectic, multi-media celebration will take place at the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) on April 9 at 5:30 p.m.

The event will feature historical-personal commentary by neighborhood historian and Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society President Shirley Satterfield; a presentation of the Robeson Clay Project, a multi-disciplinary initiative bringing together ACP artists, Princeton High School (PHS) science students, and Paul Robeson House of Princeton curators; and a flamenco performance presented by dancer/choreographer Lisa Botalico and inspired by Robeson’s speech in support of resistance against fascism during the Spanish Civil War. more

By Donald Gilpin

Daniel Kurtzer, former United States ambassador to Israel and Egypt and currently professor of Middle East policy studies at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, will be the keynote speaker at the Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) Membership Renewal Gathering on Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m.

“We are pleased to present an outstanding expert on Middle East peacemaking at this time of major war and violence, and imminent starvation,” said CFPA Executive Director the Rev. Robert Moore. “We need all of the insight and guidance we can muster to rapidly end this deeply troubling and divisive war, release the hostages, alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and find a way toward a lasting solution with a just peace for all.” more

WOOD DRAGONS AND LANTERNS: Herrontown Woods recently hosted a Lantern Festival and year of the wood dragon celebration, welcoming more than 200 visitors for a dragon parade, traditional Chinese songs and games, a tea party, and a festive community gathering in nature. (Photo by Kristin Ohrt for Herrontown Woods)

By Donald Gilpin

Danni Zhao, Montgomery resident and founder of United Moms, was a frequent visitor to Herrontown Woods with her young family. Inge Regan, Friends of Herrontown Woods (FOHW) board member, often joined them and they chatted as they strolled through the woods.

“As we walked together we got this idea,” said Zhao. “2024 is the year of the wood dragon, and this is the perfect time and Herrontown Woods is the perfect place to celebrate the dragon year in the woods. And Inge suggested we organize this event together.” more