Volume LXXVIII, Number 43
Meet The Top Agents Pages 42-48 Ndlovu Youth Choir Joins Princeton University Glee Club Concert . . . . . . . 5 Town Awarded $245K Grant to Expand Food Scraps Collection Program . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Proposal for Expansion Of IAS Library Goes to Planning Board . . . . . 10 PSO Presents “Triple Header” of Classical and Neo-Classical Music . . 18 Kelsey Theatre Presents Jekyll & Hyde . . . . . 19 QB Hipa Stars as PU Football Defeats Brown 2917, Improving to 2-3 Overall, 1-1 Ivy League . . . . . . . . 33 Sparked by Hamerschlag’s All-Around Play, PHS Boys’ Soccer Edges Trenton Central to Make CVC Tournament Semis . . . .36
This Week’s Book Review Explores James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man . . . . . . 17 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 32 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 42 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . 13-15 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 30 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 41 Performing Arts . . . 20, 21 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 42 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Superintendent Search Is Underway at PPS; Job Description Posted The search for a permanent superintendent of the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) was officially launched on Thursday, October 17, with School Leadership LLC consultants advertising the position in numerous outlets, as well as reaching out to target organizations and implementing additional recruitment strategies. “The consultants have said that they are seeing interest in the position,” the Princeton Board of Education (BOE) reported in a statement Tuesday. The hiring process, a rolling search with applications submitted online, is expected to continue into the winter with a candidate and contract approved by March. Interim Superintendent Kathie Foster will continue to lead the district through June, with the new superintendent stepping into the position on July 1, 2025. Seeking broad-based participation in developing the criteria to guide the search and selection process, the consultants during the past month have conducted a series of 24 forums and focus group meetings, and an online poll. They have gathered information from participants about “the community and its schools, its leadership challenges, and the qualifications, experiences, and characteristics that should be prioritized in candidates for the position.” The Board noted, “We appreciate the feedback we received from the community through the public forums and the survey. The next step will be screening applications and interviewing candidates for the position. We will provide updates to the community as soon as we are able.” At a special meeting of the BOE on October 16, Martin Brooks and Rina Beder from School Leadership LLC reported on the forums and focus group meetings, with a total of 225 participants, as well as the results from 512 respondents to the extensive survey. Included in the groups and individuals participating in the meetings were various parent groups; administrators; teachers from all levels; BOE members; staff members; individual parents; leaders from administrators, teachers, tech staff, and staff unions; BOE candidates; representatives from Princeton University; community members; and high school students. Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Election Day Approaches, Voting Has Begun Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, is less than two weeks away with highprofile races on the ballot for U.S. president and vice president, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and a heated local battle for three seats on the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE). Early voting starts this Saturday, October 26 and continues through November 3, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday at any one of seven Mercer County locations, including the Princeton Municipal Building at 400 Witherspoon Street. Vote by mail ballots have been mailed to all voters who have requested them, applications continue to be processed, and drop boxes to return those ballots are open throughout the county. Visit the Mercer County clerk’s website at mercercounty.org for locations and further information on the election and ways to vote. Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello will be mailing out sample ballots in the coming week, and on Election Day the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. She urges Princeton residents to take note of information on the sample ballot because there have been some changes in Princeton polling locations. Taking your
sample ballot with you when you vote will expedite the process, Covello noted. “Everyone should vote and use their vote as their voice to express their views on the direction of the country and also on taxes and the direction of their schools and how the local government is going to be run,” said Covello. “Those local offices impact citizens most directly.” She added, “Every election is important, and especially this year when you’ll be voting on who will be leading our country.”
Covello recommended early voting. “I vote early,” she said. “It’s convenient. You can go when you want to go, and you avoid Election Day lines.” On the ballot for PPS School Board are incumbent Mara Franceschi and new candidates Christopher Santarpio, Lisa Potter, Shenwei Zhao, Ari Meisel, and Erica Snyder, with voters asked to select three of the six. The intensity of the competition for the three BOE positions has been reflected Continued on Page 12
Princeton Future Invites Community To Explore Housing Possibilities
Seeking to encourage “housing that’s affordable for schoolteachers and other middle-income families,” an assortment of experts and ordinary citizens under the auspices of Princeton Future will gather in the Theron Room of the Princeton Theological Seminary Library at 25 Library Place on Saturday, October 26, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to discuss possibilities. This particular Princeton Future forum will focus on North Tulane, a small block between Wiggins and Spring streets, and “the question for all of us,” according to Princeton Future cofounder
and administrator Sheldon Sturges, is, “What would be the best thing for this community?” Sturges reflected on the overriding goals of Princeton Future, which is beginning its 25th year in existence, during which time it has conducted many sessions and explored numerous important issues with wide-ranging impact on the town of Princeton. “The concept of ‘What if?’ is key,” said Sturges. “What if we do this? What if we do that? Taking the ‘What if?’ out into the community for discussion, the ideas Continued on Page 11
HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR: Pumpkin painting was among the children’s activities at the annual event on Saturday in the courtyard at the Princeton Shopping Center. Trick-or-treating, live music, a pet costume contest, balloon artists, and more were also featured. Attendees discuss their costumes in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Sarah Teo)
halloween spooktacular october 27, 12pm – 4pm statemuseum.nj.gov
205 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608