Volume LXXIX, Number 29
National Moth Week Celebrates Night Pollinators. . . . . . . . . . 5 Giving Students A Chance To See A Prize-Winning Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Council Attendees Urge Support of Act. . . . . . . 9 Revisiting Henry James And Holden Caufield Noted on July 16. . . . 13 Actor Playing Holmes Tries to Solve Murder in Ludwig Play. . . . . . . . 14 Aiming to Build on Sophomore Season for PU Men’s Hoops, Hicke Playing for US 3x3 Team at World University Games. . . . 24 Emerging as a Key Feeder for Fairfield Women’s Lax, PDS Grad Caputo Produced a Stellar Debut Campaign . . . . . . . . . 27
PHS Alumna Shoshi Henderson Wraps Up Record-Breaking Career For Pomona-Pitzer Women’s Lax. . . . . . . 26 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . 30 Mailbox. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Midsummer Arts. . . . 15-18 New To Us . . . . . . . . . . 23 Performing Arts. . . . . 19, 20 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . 30 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Topics of the Town . . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . . 6
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The 101:Fund Awards Record Support to Recent PHS Graduates The 101:Fund, which has been granting need-based support to Princeton High School graduates since 1970, will be providing $351,000 in scholarships in the coming academic year to 79 students. This is a record response in the face of the rising challenges of paying for a college education and a sharp increase in applications for support. “This year is an enormous year for us, both with the number of kids we’re supporting and the amount of money,” said 101:Fund President Tony Klockenbrink. “With the current political environment and the attack on universities, education is a great thing to support, and this community steps up consistently for education.” He went on to note a significant uptick in the number of students in need and in the number and amount of contributions from the community, citing in particular the support of Princeton University, which has provided a grant of $100,000 in each of the past two years. Klockenbrink also emphasized the impact of the Mackey Memorial Scholarship, which was added this year, as well as the Scott McVay Petrone Memorial Scholarship, and the Mary Ryan Timmons Memorial Scholarship. “I’m very proud of what the organization has done, with bigger awards and a lot more students, and what the community has done,” he added. The 101:Fund scholarships are based entirely on financial need, and the organization’s goal is to support all qualified applicants. At last month’s awards ceremony, The 101:Fund announced that they would be funding 38 new students and 41 returning students in the 2025-26 school year, with most award amounts increased from $3,000 to $4,000 and Mercer County Community College (MCCC) awards increased to $7,000 per year. The 101:Fund has also expanded its mentoring program, with 23 scholarship winners and 17 mentors, who are volunteers from the Princeton community. Mentors fill a variety of different roles, said Klockenbrink, who frequently exchanges text messages with his mentee. “We act almost in the role of a parent,” he said, “being an advocate for them more than anything, helping to remove obstacles for them, especially for English Continued on Page 10
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Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Joint Effort Prepares for August 1 Kick-Off “On Being More Human” is the theme of this year’s Joint Effort Princeton Witherspoon Jackson Community Safe Streets Program, opening on August 1 and featuring nine days of cultural, educational, historical, social, and athletic events. “Joint Effort has been a game changer for more than 30 years in the town of Princeton,” said longtime Witherspoon-Jackson resident and former Princeton Councilman Lance Liverman. “The community fellowship with the recognition of the many sincere, loving folks has been icing on the cake. We are lucky and blessed to have Joint Effort again this year.” Joint Effort founder and organizer John Bailey discussed his vision for the community celebration that includes participation by many local dignitaries, numerous awards for community service, a gospel festival, recognition of Princeton Black churches and Black families, book scholarships, art exhibits, hot topics discussions on DEI and Defend Historic Princeton (Racism, Elitism, or Fundamental Public Policy Disagreement?), along with a candidate forum, reminiscences of the past and visions of the future, a block party, a fish fry, basketball games, awards for the All-time Greatest Joint Effort Witherspoon-Jackson Basketball Players, a celebration of Paul Robeson, and more.
“Right now I’m asking all of us to be more human,” Bailey said. “We need to be not blacker, not whiter, but more human. Robeson was one of those people who, as a world citizen, wanted to encourage all of us to be more human. Don’t just be, be more.” Bailey and Joint Effort are following that advice. “Every year it gets bigger and bigger,” he said. “Every year there’s more and more that has to happen. That’s how we approach it.”
Princeton Mayor Mark Freda, who will be a featured speaker and participant in several events over the nine days, reflected on the origins of the current program, which is a continuation and extension of the Joint Effort Community Sports program, which was founded in 1974 by Bailey, John Young, John Madden, Dennis Duggar, and Gilbert Fisher as “a vehicle to engage Princeton youth in the Witherspoon-Jackson community.” “The program has historically celebrated, Continued on Page 11
NIOT Presents Seven Unity Awards For Equity and Community-Building Efforts
Six Princeton High School (PHS) students and one Princeton Middle School (PMS) student have been honored for promoting racial justice and working to make their schools and communities more inclusive. At the 28th annual Unity Awards ceremony, hosted by Not In Our Town Princeton at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton (UUCP) on May 15, each of the students received a gift certificate and a $150 cash award. In his opening remarks, UUCP pastor Rev. Bill Neely congratulated the winners and their families, stating that the Unity
Awards “connects us in a diverse group of common values that lets us be inspired by the wonderful work of students who are actively building a better world. It should convince those of us whose student days are well behind us to work harder.” The winners included PHS graduating seniors Brian Donis Davila, Zeynep Oral, William Ponder, Asma Qureshi, and Mia Serrano; rising senior Gabriela Maldonado; and PMS graduate (a rising PHS freshman) Jalilah Tennin. “You’re all being honored this evening because of the work, the clubs, the activities, and the way each of you has widened Continued on Page 7
EARNING THEIR WINGS: Creating crafts was just one of the activities at last Saturday’s Summer Fairy Festival at The Watershed Institute. Young participants — many dressed as fairies and mythical creatures — built fairy cottages, played mermaid games, and challenged themselves in an obstacle course at the annual event. (Photo by Jeffrey E. Tryon)