Volume LXXVII, Number 25
Vintage Baseball Takes The Field for Fun . . . . . 5 Keeping Pets Safe And Secure Over July 4 Weekend . . . . . . . . . . 7 Mercer County Resident Searches for Liver Donor . . . . . . . 9 Princeton Festival Presents Timeless Rossini Comic Opera . . . . . . 13 Broadway’s Next Hit Musical Created at Princeton Festival . . . 14 PU Alum Schreiber Primed for Return Trip to Men’s Lacrosse Worlds 19 Wilberforce Girls’ Track Produced Historic Spring, Taking Non-Public Team Title, Winning MOC 4x800 . . . . . . . 23
Happy Birthday to Ray Davies in This Week’s Book Review . . . . . . . 12 Art . . . . . . . . . . . .16, 17 Books . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 28 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Obituaries . . . . . . .26, 27 Performing Arts . . . . . 15 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 10 Real Estate. . . . . . . . . 28 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Summer Living . . . . . . . 2 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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Improvements, Upgrades For Crosswalk, Lawn at 183-185 Nassau Street At its June 12 meeting, Princeton Council passed a resolution providing support for the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) concept plan for improvements to the midblock crosswalk on Nassau Street between Thomas Sweet Ice Cream and Princeton University’s building at 185 Nassau Street. The proposal calls for expanding and upgrading the pedestrian crosswalk. Concurrently, the University is converting the front lawn of 185 Nassau Street into a space to be inviting to the public as well as the University community. According to Ronald McCoy, University architect, Office of the University Architect, the project is part of “an ongoing portfolio of opportunities to enhance the campus landscape.” The Betsey Stockton garden, which the University planted in 2018 between Firestone Library and Nassau Street, was an inspiration. Stockton was a prominent African American missionary and educator in the 19th century, and a former slave of University President Ashbel Green. The grasses and flowering plants of that garden serve as a green roof for the library’s B and C floors. “Building on the success of the Betsey Stockton garden, we prioritized this project as an opportunity to enhance campus landscape that is also an integral part of the Princeton community, Nassau Street, and the local merchants,” McCoy said. “We want to enhance the public use of this space.” The area will include new paving, lawns, ground cover, benches, café chairs, and tables. “The garden is designed for informal social gatherings, public events, classroom discussions, and opportunities to exhibit the work of the Lewis Center for the Arts/Visual Arts students,” said McCoy. Originally known as the Nassau Street School, the building at 185 Nassau Street was constructed in 1909 in Classic Revival style. The University bought the building from the Princeton Board of Education in 1963. Two decades later, it was renovated to house a new theater, additional storage and office space, a permanent exhibition gallery, a new film studio and cinema, a dance studio, acting studio, and a common room. The programs in Dance, Theater, Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Princeton School Board Appoints New Administrators There will be two new administrators in the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) this fall. At the June 13 Board of Education (BOE) meeting, the Board voted on Superintendent Carol Kelley’s recommendation that Tiffany Brennan be hired as the supervisor of mathematics and business education for grades six through 12, and the board appointed John McCann as Princeton Middle School assistant principal. Brennan, who is currently the supervisor of science, technology, engineering, and math in the Robbinsville Public School District, is replacing Stephenie Tidwell. McCann is a teacher in the middle school, and replaces Jessica Kilgore, who will be an elementary school principal in another district. Brennan will supervise the development, implementation, and assessment of the math and business curricula. The search to fill the math position was led by a diverse committee of community members including BOE representatives, parents, educators, and administrators, according to the PPS, and Brennan was the unanimous choice. It was reported in Town Topics in May that PPS launched a comprehensive Math Program Review, which will include surveys and focus groups of students,
teachers, and the community, plus classroom observations and a review of professional development. The department has been challenged by some declining test scores, and staffing challenges stemming from the pandemic. Brennan, who has been a supervisor and teacher in the Robbinsville Public School District for 14 years, earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and master’s degree in mathematics education from Rutgers University.
She explained why it was important for students to have a good foundation in mathematics: “Learning math isn’t just about getting the correct answer to a problem,” she said. “Learning math teaches students to problem solve, to try something different when the first idea didn’t work, and to think in logical steps to persevere through something difficult. Computer science works the same way. In both math and business classes, just like in life, you’ll be asked to use what you Continued on Page 10
Princeton Council Recognizes Impact of Nonprofit HiTOPS During Pride Month
Although it was during Pride Month when the Municipality of Princeton recognized HiTOPS with a proclamation at the June 12 Council meeting, the organization was lauded for its positive impact on the youth of Princeton all year long. According to the nonprofit’s mission statement, HiTOPS “fosters strong and healthy young people of all identities by providing inclusive and youth-informed sex education and LGBTQ+ support for young people throughout New Jersey.” Councilwoman and longtime champion of HiTOPS Eve Niedergang, who presented the proclamation, noted the significant
impact HiTOPS has had on the Princeton community. “From their start with Teen Council, a peer sexual health program, to their school-based sex education and teacher training, to their annual Trans Youth Forum, HiTOPS has held youth voice and leadership at the core of their mission,” said Niedergang in a press release. “Plus, they celebrate all things Princeton by hosting the HiTOPS Princeton Half Marathon every November.” The Half Marathon, which took place November 13, is a popular fundraiser. An upcoming fundraising event is the Continued on Page 10
“FREEDOM FORWARD”: The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum, located in the National Historic Registerlisted Mt. Zion AME Church in Skillman, held its second annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday afternoon. Attendees share what brought them to the event in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)
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