By Donald Gilpin

Summer construction, maintenance, and cleanup projects are essentially finished; teachers will be winding up classroom preparations, professional days, and lesson planning this week; and new students and faculty are completing their requisite orientation sessions.  It’s back to school time, with classes beginning at Princeton University and Princeton Public Schools (PPS) on Tuesday, September 6 and at most local private schools a day or two later.

At Johnson Park Elementary School (JP) last Thursday, 55 new kindergarteners and their parents participated in a safari-themed orientation program. The JP PTO provided decorations and refreshments.

“It was a delight to see our youngest learners arrive with excitement for what is to come,” wrote JP Principal Angela Siso Stentz in an August 29 email. “Our kindergarten parents had an opportunity to mingle a little while the students participated in activities with the kindergarten team of four teachers. We can’t wait until the first day of school.”

She continued, “We are really looking forward to the new school year, with reduced COVID restrictions and returning to some normal procedures. Johnson Park Elementary School will welcome close to 100 new families across all grade levels. Over the next three service days teachers and staff members will plan, coordinate, engage, and prepare for our students’ September 6 arrival.”

PPS Interim Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Rebecca Gold described the busy scene in the district last week as PPS welcomed about 60 new staff members. “It has been a week of orientation, exploration, meeting new colleagues, learning about the Princeton area, new software programs, security, time in their buildings, and so much more,” she said. “Our leadership team has done an amazing job of presenting and working with new hires.”  more

By Donald Gilpin

Celebrating 100 years of service, YWCA Princeton will be hosting a free block party at the YMCA field on Paul Robeson Place on Saturday, September 17, from noon to 5 p.m. 

Activities and entertainment will include a DJ and live performances, face painting, balloon art, glitter tattoos, hula hooping, yard games, and more, with such giveaways as tote bags, pop-sockets, pins, stickers, colored pencils, and other YWCA merchandise. There will also be raffle baskets donated by local businesses and nonprofit partners, free snacks, and a variety of food items for sale.

Princeton Mayor Mark Freda will be speaking, along with YWCA Princeton CEO Tay Walker and Board President Leslie Straut Ward.

Walker commented on the upcoming Centennial Block Party, which will be the first in-person public event hosted by YWCA Princeton since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are beyond excited to celebrate 100 years of impact with our community,’ she said. “This milestone is a culmination of all we’ve accomplished together thus far, and the future we can pave for our children and the next generation.”

Walker went on to emphasize the YWCA’s legacy as a result of “the efforts of women and men who knew they had something to offer, and often offered it freely for the betterment of our community.” more

By Donald Gilpin

Sarah Steward
(Courtesy of HomeFront)

Sarah Steward, chief operating officer at HomeFront since 2016, will take over as chief executive officer on October 1, succeeding HomeFront founder Connie Mercer, who announced earlier this year that she will be stepping down after 31 years of leading the Lawrenceville-based nonprofit that seeks to eradicate homelessness in central New Jersey.

Eager to carry on Mercer’s legacy, Steward does not see big changes on the horizon for the organization. “We have always grown and changed and adapted to whatever the current needs are,” she said in an August 15 phone conversation. “But the heart of the organization has always remained the same, which is actually what is incredibly powerful about HomeFront. Even as the day-to-day services change and the needs of the clients we’re serving change, we have stayed laser-light focused on what our families need the most.”

She continued, ”I see that as a big part of Connie’s legacy here at HomeFront, and I hope I can live up to that. We have an amazing team of people around us, and so I’m confident that we will keep that heart and that focus on our mission.”

A HomeFront press release describes Steward as “a visionary leader who, alongside Connie, guided the agency during extremely challenging times.” It continues, “Sarah advanced critical programs and services to aid our community’s most vulnerable neighbors. Her passion for helping others has already transformed the lives of thousands of families experiencing homelessness.”

HomeFront Board President Ruth Scott noted that Steward’s unanimous selection by the board was the culmination of a nationwide CEO search. “She brings a vast array of skills and experience to this role,” said Scott, adding that the search provided “confirmation that Sarah is the right person for the job. We are incredibly fortunate to have a leader like her to ensure that we continue our critical work in the community.” more

By Donald Gilpin

Frank von Hippel
(Photo by David Kelly Crow)

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki took place on August 6 and 9, 1945, and last week, on the 77th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing, about 40 supporters of the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) gathered at the Arts Council of Princeton to commemorate the events and to consider the current threat of nuclear arms.

Warning of an accidental nuclear war, with the United States and Russia ready to launch about one thousand nuclear warheads and the Chinese preparing to deploy hundreds of new intercontinental ballistic missiles, Princeton University Professor Emeritus Frank von Hippel urged the audience “to remobilize against the nuclear arms race.” 

“Either we get rid of these weapons, or they will get rid of us,” he told the audience.

Von Hippel, a senior research physicist and professor of public and international affairs emeritus with Princeton’s Program on Science and Global Security (which he co-founded),  presented a history of the expansion of nuclear weapons, the growth of the CFPA, born in the early 1980s, and the movement to ban nuclear weapons. 

He described a number of dangerous situations since 1945, and said, “It is time for us to light a new fire to reverse the new nuclear arms race that now involves China as well as ourselves and Russia. We need to focus on measures that will reduce the danger of nuclear war.” more

QUEER YOUTH BRIGADE: The Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice in its new home on Stockton Street is following up on its successful June Pride Parade with a variety of events for the end of summer and beginning of fall. Launched just last month, the Queer Youth Brigade has taken the lead in planning programming for the LGBTQIA safe space and community activist center. (Photo courtesy of Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice)

By Donald Gilpin

The Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ), in its new headquarters at 12 Stockton Street, is branching out and moving forward on multiple different avenues in the coming weeks and months.

Described by its Chief Activist Robt Seda-Schreiber as “a community activist center, educational bridge, and safe space for our LGBTQIA youth, intersectional families, and all our beautifully diverse communities,” the BRCSJ has continued its programming and welcoming activities — sometimes virtually and sometimes in-person — throughout the pandemic, and has announced a full slate of activities for the end of summer and start of the fall season.

“Out of the Closet — Queer Icons Frank and Chet Present the Great Clothing Giveaway!” will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 20. Frank Mahood, founder of Princeton’s first gay rights organization, Gay People Princeton, almost 50 years ago, and his partner Chet Kabara will be in attendance. The BRCSJ Facebook site describes the event as “a unique opportunity to own a piece of fabulous LGBTQIA history, as our favorite couple share both new and oh-so-slightly used clothes from their various appearances and adventures at Pride events over the years.”

The BRCSJ promises there will be everything “from rainbow slacks to sequined blazers and also for the more fashionably-timid there are bins full of more sedate sweaters, pants, hats, footwear, and all sorts of other stylish pieces to add to your wardrobe.”  All items are free of charge, though the organization asks patrons to consider a donation to support the BRCSJ. more

By Donald Gilpin

The first confirmed case of monkeypox in New Jersey was reported on June 18, and since then the Princeton Health Department has received more than 300 calls and emails, and has responded to residents’ concerns about how the virus is spread, reviewed possible exposures to identify risk, and answered questions about vaccination sites and eligibility.

As of Tuesday, August 9, the New Jersey Department of Health had reported 264 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the state, mostly in northern counties. There were just seven cases in Mercer County.

Last Thursday, the White House declared the outbreak a national health emergency, following the World Health Organization’s declaration in July of monkeypox as a global health emergency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 8,934 cases in the United States as of Monday, August 8, with New York reporting the highest total at 1,960 cases. The U.S. has the highest number of monkeypox infections in the world.

“Although the risk of monkeypox in Princeton is thought to be low, we are continuing to urge everyone to be knowledgeable about the disease and how it is spread,” wrote Princeton Deputy Administrator for Health and Human Services Jeff Grosser in an August 9 email. When asked whether any cases have been reported in Princeton, Grosser stated that, due to the limited number of cases, municipalities do not report case numbers out of concern for protecting individuals’ health and private health information.

“Monkeypox spreads in different ways,” Grosser wrote. “It can spread from person to person through direct contact with rash, scabs, or bodily fluids. It can also spread by face-to-face contact through respiratory droplets, or during close contact such as kissing, cuddling, or sex.” more

“THE MEMORY OF OUR ANCESTORS”:On August 5, the opening day of the Joint Effort Safe Streets celebrations, 18 vinyl banners, depictions of Romus Broadway’s photo collages of the people of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, were mounted on utility poles around the community. Joint Effort Safe Streets continues through Sunday, August 14 with a variety of events.  (Photo courtesy of the Arts Council of Princeton)

By Donald Gilpin

At last Friday’s opening reception for 2022 Joint Effort Safe Streets, Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin was remembering Romus Broadway, photographer, historian, and one of the “ancestors” to whom the nine-day Joint Effort celebration is dedicated.

“He is resting in peace, and he must have a big smile on his face to know that he has brought all of us together tonight to look at his work and to celebrate ourselves and the town of Princeton,” said Newlin, referring to Broadway and his collection of photo montages depicting many of the residents of the neighborhood.

Eighteen two-by-four-foot vinyl banners, digital depictions of Broadway’s collages, were mounted on poles in the Witherspoon-Jackson (W-J) neighborhood on Friday, August 5 as the culmination of a project by the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP), in collaboration with Princeton University, the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society (WJHCS), and the Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Association.

Many other W-J ancestors, along with contemporary organizations and individuals, were honored at Friday’s opening ceremonies at Studio Hillier on Witherspoon Street, with special recognition for WJHCS co-founder and neighborhood historian Shirley Satterfield. “It takes one person who cares, one person who stood up, one person who said, ‘My history, our history, this community’s history is important,’” said Joint Effort Founder and Event Coordinator John Bailey in honoring Satterfield. more

By Donald Gilpin

Sarah Moore
(Courtesy of PPS)

As students and teachers return to school for the start of the fall term next month, there will be a new supervisor of elementary education in a new budget-neutral position, a number of administrators in new roles, and new classroom and collaborative learning areas — built with funds from the 2018 referendum — just completed at Princeton High School (PHS).

Board of Education President Dafna Kendal described some of the advantages of the four classrooms and the collaborative learning space, which is on schedule to welcome students in the fall as soon as furniture shipments arrive.  “It’s beautiful,” she said. “Everything is on target and the design is timeless, with a lot of light. My favorite part is the windows. There’s so much light in the rooms, and I think that’s important.”

The collaborative space is a response to requests from teachers and students for more gathering places. “This will enable large groups to get together, whether it’s to work on a project or hold a discussion or listen to a speaker,” said Kendal.  “And we didn’t have to add to the footprint of the high school. We just built this over the gym. It’s a new space, but it’s cost effective in how we added those rooms.”

The new space, with a capacity of 100 to 120 students, is likely to serve a variety of purposes for many different parts of the PHS community. “They’re calling it a dance studio, but it’s also going to be used for yoga and meditation and things like that,” said Kendal. “Another thing that came out is that we need more space for athletic teams to practice and get together.”

The new construction provides versatile flooring and space, Kendal said, to accommodate dance, a practice area for the fencing team, and a wellness studio.  With renovation funds from the referendum PHS was able to complete other projects last year, including the Tiger Cafe and the revamping and expansion of the guidance area.

Kendal emphasized the importance of improvements that will address social-emotional needs at PHS. She added that, elsewhere in the district, the completion of the new roof at Littlebrook Elementary School will soon be a welcome accomplishment. more

By Donald Gilpin

Starting with its Community Kick-Off Reception on Friday evening, August 5, at Studio Hillier on Witherspoon Street and continuing through Sunday, August 14, Joint Effort Safe Streets has something for everybody — with its hub in the Witherspoon-Jackson community and its impact throughout Princeton.

“It’s always good when Joint Effort Safe Streets comes around, because it gives the community a chance to come together for good discussion and camaraderie,” said Princeton Councilman and Witherspoon-Jackson resident Leighton Newlin. “Joint Effort started with the kids and the basketball camp. The recreational part of Safe Streets brings our youth together with fun things to do. Joint Effort has since morphed into discussions and dialogue over critical issues here in Princeton. These forums open up the dialogue. They put topics on the table that are seldom discussed in Princeton with the same kind of focus.”

Highlights of the Joint Effort Witherspoon-Jackson Community Princeton Safe Streets Summer 2022 Programs, which are “Dedicated to the Memory of Our Ancestors,” include reflections on the past of the community and the presentation of awards to individuals, families, churches, and other institutions that have contributed to the rich history of the neighborhood. Also in the spotlight will be commentary from civic leaders and others; a gospel fest, meet and greet gatherings, a community block festival, and other entertainments; a free basketball clinic and the Pete Young Memorial Basketball Games for all ages; and, perhaps most importantly, a series of three discussions on important current concerns, featuring commentators and panelists, leaders in local government, politics, business, public safety, and education.

Joint Effort Safe Streets Founder and Event Coordinator John Bailey emphasized the significance of the Hot Topics discussions, particularly those focusing on the issue of race in Princeton. “It’s important to me that we’re having a conversation about race,” he said. “A lot of people don’t want to have those conversations, but there is a need for us to think deeply about what we’re trying to do.” more