Volume LXXVII, Number 2
Marquand Park to Celebrate New “StoryWalk” . . . . . . 5 Council Begins New Year With Reorganization, Reports . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Rider’s Princeton Campus Gains Temporary Tenants . . . . . . . . . . 13 NJSO Presents Brahms Piano Concerto . . . . . 17 Cunningham Stars as PU Women’s Hoops Tops Cornell, Ends Ivy Slide. . 28 Baytin Produces School Record, Xu Shows Versatility As PHS Boys’ Swimming Tops WW/P-S . . . . . . . . 30
Wonders Abound in Bob Dylan’s New Book . . 16 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .19, 22 Better Living. . . . . . 20-21 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 23 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 35 Luxury Living . . . . . . . 2-3 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 24 Obituaries . . . . . . . 33-34 Performing Arts . . . . . 18 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 35 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
PPS Dual Language Immersion Program Welcomes Applicants for 2023-2024 The Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program was labeled by the state as a model program when, after many years of planning and preparation, it was founded in 2015. In the years since, it has evolved, progressed, weathered the pandemic, and continued to expand under the leadership of committed administrators and passionate, capable teachers. With the first DLI cohort that started in kindergarten and first grade now advancing through Princeton Middle School (PMS), the program, based at Community Park (CP) Elementary School, is announcing information sessions next week at CP on Wednesday, January 18, at 6:30 p.m. and on Thursday, January 19, at 9 a.m., and is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. “We’ve had nonstop visitors from around the state and outside the state coming to see our program,” said Priscilla Russel, district supervisor of world languages, ESL/bilingual, and dual language immersion programs. She has also traveled across the country observing other DLI programs and has led many professional development workshops. “It’s really a wonderful way for children to acquire a second language,” she added. “One of the beauties of an immersion program is that the children are really acquiring language. It surrounds them. Their teachers are not speaking any English at all, but they are seeing pictures, using manipulatives, and doing math in Spanish.” At CP most students enter the program in kindergarten or first grade, but it is open to all district students in kindergarten to fifth grade who demonstrate appropriate proficiency in Spanish. Students who enter the program prior to January of first grade do not need any specific language expertise. There are currently 257 students in the DLI program at CP and more than 80 at Princeton Middle School. PPS provides transportation for students in the Johnson Park, Littlebrook, or Riverside neighborhoods who want to participate in the DLI program. The district wants to ensure that all members of the community, including native Spanish speakers, have an opportunity to apply. One of the first dual language programs in the area, the CP model teaches the Continued on Page 10
75¢ at newsstands
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Three Respiratory Viruses Remain a Threat Flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and COVID-19 continue to spread throughout the region and the country. The new COVID Omicron variant, XBB.1.5, which first appeared in the U. S. last fall, provides more evidence of COVID-19’s ability to evolve rapidly, as its many mutations help it to outmaneuver antibodies and immune defenses and spread broadly. XBB.1.5 currently accounts for more than 70 percent of all new COVID-19 cases in the northeast U.S. Though cold weather and the holiday season invariably bring more outbreaks and viral spread as people gather indoors, fortunately the three viruses do not seem to rise and fall simultaneously. Princeton Deputy Administrator for Health and Human Services Jeff Grosser explained the current status of epidemiological surveillance and the current outlook for Princeton and the region in facing the ongoing tripledemic. “We certainly observed increases in respiratory illnesses in the weeks following both Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he wrote in an email. The central west region of New Jersey, which includes
Mercer County, was in low or moderate COVID-19 activity for most of November and December, he said, “But the last week of December we went to high and continue to sit there as of today (January 9).” He continued, “Coupled with the high COVID-19 numbers we are seeing, flu rates throughout most of the fall were the highest we had seen in years. Fortunately, with the onslaught of new COVID-19 cases, we are beginning to see a decrease in flu and RSV cases.”
Grosser pointed out the effectiveness of the XBB.1.5 Omicron strain at evading antibodies. He warned, “Although flu and RSV cases are on the decline, COVID-19 cases have been ticking upwards and will likely result in increased hospitalizations.” He went on to emphasize how quickly, just in the past month, this surge in XBB cases has occurred, “yet another reminder of the importance of proper disease surveillance and adapting to the circulating strains.” Continued on Page 14
Honoring Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. With Special Events, Community Service
With a Community Bagel Breakfast in the morning, followed by a final “Naming Party” for the Romus Broadway photo collage project, and a reception for an exhibit of paintings by Aaron C. Fisher in the late afternoon, the Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) will be a busy place on Monday, January 16 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The ACP is one of several sites in the area that will pay tribute to the late pioneer of civil rights, on the federal holiday marking his birthday. With scheduled talks, concerts, multifaith religious services,
food drives, and more, there are a variety of opportunities in several locations to honor his legacy that day. The speaker at the ACP’s 9 a.m. breakfast is Princeton University professor Tina Campt, a well-known Black feminist theorist of visual culture and contemporary art. Families are invited to pick up a copy of an updated, limited-edition coloring book featuring prominent Black residents of Princeton throughout history, including business owners, politicians, educators, Continued on Page 12
DROPPING IN: General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a Princeton University alum, makes a ceremonial puck drop before the Princeton University men’s hockey team took on Dartmouth last Saturday night. Milley ’80, a former Tiger hockey player, was on hand to take part in the “Hobey 100 Weekend,” celebrating the 100th year of the Hobey Baker Rink. Pictured with Milley, from left, are Dartmouth captain Tanner Palocsik, Princeton Director of Athletics John Mack, and Princeton captain Pito Walton. Coverage of the games and Milley’s visit starts on page 25. (Photo by Shelley Szwast, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)