En te rt ai nm en tI ss ue !
Friday, June 7, 2024
Ar ts &
VOL. 240, NO. 23
Managing Editor
Mercer County has a number of events lined up to celebrate Juneteenth and Pride Month. Juneteenth What We Commemorate on Juneteenth – A Discussion will be held at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 13 as a virtual program at the Mercer County Library System. For more information call (609) 8823148 or visit mcl.org. Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday in 2021, but do we really understand what this day represents? Dr. Richard Bell, professor of History at the University of Maryland, discusses the struggles of enslaved African Americans during the Civil War and the events leading up to their emancipation on June 19, 1865. The African American Cultural Collaborative of Mercer County will hold a Juneteenth Festival from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday, June 15 at the Mercer County Park Festival Grounds, 1638 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. For more information call (609) 474-4073, email trentonaapride@ gmail.com, or visit taacf.com/ juneteenth-performers. The festival will feature music, performances, food, and other festivities. Hosted by Kevin “Deekay” Francois, this day-long celebration will feature singer Vivian Green, and other performances by Farafina Kan, Lin Rountree, DJ Fatha Ramzee, Cintron Band, Chelsey Green and the Green Project, DJ Ed Ward, Queen Samut, and more Attend a day of Juneteenth festivities in Princeton from 1-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. Kick off the day with a Flag Raising with the Municipality of Princeton at Monument Plaza. At 4 p.m., head over
to Morven Museum & Garden, 55 Stockton St., to participate in the community gathering with crafts and educational activities with partnering anti-racist organizations from the greater Princeton area. Step inside an antique phone booth recording studio, as part of the “Let Freedom Ring” project, where you’ll be prompted to record your own reflections, thoughts, hopes, and dreams for Juneteenth and the future. For more information call (609) 497-0020, email info@princetonsymphony.org or visit princetonsymphony.org. The finale of the celebration is a concert featuring Robert Ray’s “Gospel Mass” among other choral selections conducted by Vinroy D. Brown. He will be leading the joint choral forces of the Capital Singers of Princeton, Caritas Chamber Chorale, and Elmwood Concert Singers, in addition to vocalists from St. David the King and Union Baptist Church in Trenton. Come be a part of this community-wide event and get your tickets for the evening performance starting at 7 p.m. Juneteenth Black-owned business marketplace will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22 at Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health and Wellness – Conference Center, 3100 Quakerbridge Road. For more information email info@sbdcnj.com. LGBTQ+ and Pride Month LGBTQ Film Screening of “A League of Their Own” will show at 2 p.m. June 9 at the Lawrence Branch of the Mercer County Library System, 2751 Brunswick Pike. For more information call (609) 883-8292 or visit mcl.org. Trenton Pride Afters Trenton Pride Center to hold a Trenton Social from 8-11:30 p.m. June 22 at 449 S. Broad St.
Princeton: Primary election By LEA KAHN Staff Writer
There were no surprises in the June 4 primary for Princeton Mayor and Princeton Council. Mayor Mark Freda, who sought the Democratic Party’s nomination to run for a second term, received 1,904 votes in the Democratic Party primary. He was running unopposed. Incumbent Princeton Councilman Leighton Newlin and his
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Juneteenth and Pride celebrations By KATHY CHANG
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running mate, Brian McDonald, received 1,776 votes and 1,801 votes respectively for the Democratic Party nomination for Princeton Council. They were running unopposed. The Republican Party did not field candidates for mayor or Princeton Council. The results as of press time June 5 are unofficial and will remain so until they are certified by the Mercer County Clerk’s Office.
‘Community is really important’ Hun School students create autism nonprofit
Two students at the Hun School of Princeton created an Autism Awareness Alliance nonprofit in efforts to celebrate and embrace neurodiversity. On Saturday April 27, Sean X. and Tom C., hosted “Beyond the Spectrum,” an all-day community event that celebrates Autism Awareness Month. The event was held in downtown Princeton, between the Dinky Bar and McCarter Theatre with over 150 local families with children on the spectrum in attendance. The funfilled celebration kicked off with a keynote speech from Mayor Mark Freda followed by endless activities including musical performances, lion dancing, carnival games, and prizes, according to a press release through the school. As one of the leaders of the Autism Awareness Alliance, Sean’s goal in hosting this event was to celebrate and embrace neurodiversity within the Mercer County community. “We aim to enrich the lives of children with autism by fostering awareness and building meaningful interactions between these children and other community members. We also hope to help families find additional resources,” he said. Sean and Tom established the Autism Awareness Alliance in the
Courtesy of The Hun School of Princeton
summer of 2023 and soon after partnered with the Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation. After many weekends spent volunteering at the hospital, Sean and Tom decided that they wanted to begin their fundraising efforts. Over the summer, they raised $7,000 for the foundation by attending local farmers markets and other community events in Mercer County. Sean and Tom hope to raise $15,000 by the end of this year. “Community is really important to both Sean and me,” Tom said. “And community means building connections with every-
one despite our differences and coming together to support each other. We believe that our differences are what make us special to society; we are all human yet we all see the world so differently and that is why we are choosing to put so much of our time and effort into fundraising and creating a network of support for local families with children on the spectrum.” Tom and Sean, who are part of the Class of 2026, are already busy planning next year’s Autism Awareness Month celebration and are eager to find ways to continue to engage the local community as well as the Hun community.
Princeton school board appoints new Johnson Park School principal By LEA KAHN Staff Writer
Christopher Sheridan has been named as the new principal at the Johnson Park School, effective July 1. Sheridan was appointed to the position by the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education at its May 21 meeting. He will earn $146,000 per year. The new principal succeeds Principal Angela Siso Stentz, who will become the assistant superintendent for human resources in the Princeton Public Schools, also on July 1. Sheridan, who has been an educator for 17 years, is the assistant principal at the Delran Intermediate School in Delran. Interim Superintendent of Schools Kathie Foster said Sheridan was chosen following a “robust process” of interviewing candidates for the job.
“We all love Angela. She will be hard to replace, but we are really excited to have Chris join the leadership team,” Foster said. “Chris’ passion and student-centered vision I think will carry on the legacy of Angela and continue into the future. We are really thrilled to have him join the Princeton Public Schools.” Sheridan thanked the school board for placing its trust in his leadership capabilities. He said he is looking forward to being a steward of a robust learning community. “I promise to serve you proudly by putting the betterment of the students at the forefront,” Sheridan said. The new principal was also welcomed by parent Brooke Cole, whose child is in the second grade at the Johnson Park School. While the Johnson Park School is losing an amazing principal with Siso Stentz’s promotion, the school
community is very excited to welcome Sheridan, Cole said during the public comment portion of the meeting. “Our students are super excited and they are so ready to meet you,” she told Sheridan. Sheridan lives with his wife and two sons in Robbinsville. He has been the assistant principal at the Delran Intermediate School since 2019. He began his career in 2007 as a fifth-grade teacher at the Jersey City Community Charter School and then moved over to the T.G. Connors School in Hoboken. Sheridan was a teacher and then dean of students and programs for grades K-3 at the Joseph F. Brandt Elementary School, also in Hoboken, from 2012 to 2019. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Montclair State University.
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Housing Initiatives of Princeton seeks donated cars for clients By LEA KAHN Staff Writer
Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP) is seeking donors who have an extra or unneeded car to donate for clients who need one to get to work. HIP helps low-income working families and individuals avoid homelessness by providing transitional housing and temporary rental assistance. It also offers supportive services to help clients get back on their feet. Many of HIP’s clients have cars, but they are often old and unreliable. “They would be given to clients on a case-by-case basis,” said Lori Troilo, HIP’s executive director. A client recently contacted HIP to report that her car needs a significant amount of work that she cannot afford. The single mother, who is living in one of HIP’s transitional housing units, said a mechanic told her
that her car is not safe and that she should not be driving it at all, Troilo said. “‘I have no money saved and so even to get it fixed, I would need to get a loan or something. Even though it is dangerous, I need to be able to get to and from work,’” the woman told Troilo. A client’s need for a reliable car is no different than anyone else’s need, Troilo said. “It is for transportation to and from work, to pick up children from school, run errands, travel to class or the doctor’s office or to attend backto-school night,” she said. “Having a car also means clients do not need to depend on the frequently unreliable public transportation system or to spend hard-earned dollars on costly ride-share programs. “There is no question that a lack of public transportation and our reliance on personal vehicles poses a
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significant barrier for low-income individuals in their social and economic mobility. “This, in turn, contributes to the stigma that economically disadvantaged people are the ones who mostly use public transportation,” Troilo said. A reliable car opens up opportunities for low-income persons, she said. Clients who have a car can consider a better paying job or an advancement opportunity in a town that is not serviced by a bus. Troilo said HIP’s rental units are located on or near a bus line, but the bus system can be unreliable. Sometimes, a bus is delayed and that causes a problem for a client. If the bus is late, the client loses time and earnings at work. One client has a young child whose school bus comes after the New Jersey Transit bus to the client’s workplace, she said. The client could
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not leave her child alone, so she had to change her work schedule to accommodate the bus transportation. “If the client had a reliable car, she would not face losing time and money at work,” Troilo said. “It would also mean not having to take two buses and spending hours in transit to go on an errand.” While HIP prefers that donated cars are in working condition, it can consult with a mechanic to determine whether repairs to a non-working vehicle meet safety requirements and makes economic sense. Anyone interested in donating a vehicle can get more information by sending an email to info@housinginitiativesofprinceton.org. THE PRINCETON PACKET 100 Overlook Center 2nd Floor Princeton, NJ 08540 609-924-3244
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