Volume LXXVIII, Number 37
“Bach en Bandoneon” May Inspire a Tango . . . 5 Stand with Banned Books In Read-Out at Library . . 8 PU Seeks EvenHandedness As Demonstrations Return . . . . . . . . . . 13 McCarter Presents Empire Records: The Musical . . . . . . . 26 Not Resting on Laurels After State Championship Season, PHS Girls’ Volleyball Looking Dominant in the Early Going . . . . . . . . . . 33 Gaining Benefits from Last Fall’s Growing Pains, Stuart Field Hockey Produces Promising 3-0 Start . . . . . . . . . 36
D.H. Lawrence and a Rainbow Share This Week’s Book Review . . 25 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 29 Back to School . . . . 21-23 Books . . . . . . . . . . 19, 20 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 30 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 41 Destination Cranbury . .14, 15 Luxury Living . . . . . .9, 11 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 18 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 24 Obituaries . . . . . . . 39, 40 Performing Arts . . . . . 27 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 16 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 41 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
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All Six PPS Schools Win Certification From Sustainable Jersey
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Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Council Moves to Acquire Westminster Campus At its meeting on Monday, September 9, Princeton Council voted unanimously to introduce two ordinances designed to start the process of acquiring the former Westminster Choir College property. “This evening the Mayor and Council voted unanimously to introduce two ordinances which begin the process for the Municipality to acquire 101 Walnut Lane, former site of the historic Westminster Choir College,” reads a statement issued by Council President Mia Sacks on Tuesday morning. “The public hearing for Ordinance #2024-35 will be held on September 23 and the public hearing for Ordinance #2024-34 will be held on October 14. “Acquisition of this property would represent a generational investment — enabling Princeton to more effectively plan for its long-term future — including but not limited to the provision of much-needed educational and recreational facilities for the community and school district, and other public needs. If adopted, Ordinances #2024-34 and #2024-35 will enable the legal process for acquisition to proceed. The Governing
Body is committed to working with all interested community stakeholders to determine the best public purposes for this centrally-located site. This is an exciting moment for Princeton and one the governing body believes will result in countless public benefits to be enjoyed for decades to come.” Occupying some 23 acres of prime Princeton real estate, the renowned choral college merged with Rider University in 1992, but retained its own identity.
In 2017, Rider announced plans to sell Westminster and relocate its programs to Rider’s campus in Lawrence Township. A sale did not materialize. What remains of the choir college operates on the Rider campus. The Princeton campus is mostly empty, though the Westminster Conservatory, a community music school, has continued to function at the site. The choir college is the focus of two lawsuits. One, against Rider, was brought by a group of former Westminster
With sustainability remaining a high priority in the new school year, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) reports that all six of its schools have achieved Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. Princeton High School (PHS), Princeton Middle School (PMS), Community Park Elementary (CP), and Riverside Elementary have met the requirements to achieve certification this year, joinContinued on Page 10 ing Littlebrook Elementary and Johnson Park Elementary, who won certification in 2022. There are 375 certified schools in New Jersey. Princeton University has welcomed emphasized the importance of having “We are all incredibly proud of our 1,411 first-year students in the Class of a diverse student body and stated that schools’ commitment to sustainability 2028, the first class admitted following Princeton would “work vigorously to preand all the hard work that has gone into the Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision serve — and indeed grow — the diversity achieving this certification,” said PPS Inbanning race-conscious affirmative action of our community while fully respecting terim Superintendent Kathie Foster, as in college admissions. Comparative num- the law as announced today.” quoted in a press release. “By integrating bers reveal little change in racial diversity sustainable practices into our buildings, Compared to the University’s statistics from other recent first-year classes. operations, and curriculum, we are not on last year’s entering class, this year’s In a statement released at the time of class includes 23.8 percent self-identified only reducing our footprint but also inspirthe Court’s decision, Princeton Univer- as Asian-Americans, as opposed to 26 ing our students to be the changemakers Continued on Page 12 sity President Christopher L. Eisgruber of tomorrow.” Schools participating in the certification process create “Green Teams” to help coordinate “priority actions” to enhance sustainability and earn points towards bronze and silver certification by Sustainable Jersey for Schools. All the PPS schools have earned more than the required 150 points for bronze certification and are working towards the 350 points required for the highest level silver certification. PMS with its hydroponics tower and eSTEAM Saturday Scholars Program, and CP with its pedestrian and bike safety events and the Garden State on your Plate program both achieved 160 points this year. Each school also gained points for initiatives taken at the District level, including tracking energy at each school, implementing energy efficiency upgrades, developing sustainability and safe routes to school policies, participating in professional development for sustainability, monitoring the district’s carbon Set in supplies one of Princeton's most prestigious footprint, using greener cleaning neighborhoods, within a short walk to town, the and equipment, offering food scraps University andcolother cultural venues, this classic Federalist home embodies the community's lection in each school’s kitchen, student history of sophistication. A grand, inviting hallway a fireplace opens to the spacious participation in arts programs, andwith a staff living and dining rooms suitable for the most wellness program. elegant entertaining. Built in a period of skilled ALL ABOUTrooms BUGS: Participants collected insects for identification on Saturday at the Annual Insect Festival, led by craftsmanship, these well-proportioned PHS and Riverside,have getting on deepRutgers high ceilings, moldings Master and other Gardeners of Mercer County at Mercer County Educational Gardens in Hopewell Township. Participants after details. First floor rooms flow track towards silver certifisought cation, have share (Photo by Sarah Teo) seamlessly into one another and what onto a they large liked best about the event in this week’s Town Talk on page 6.
University Welcomes 1,411 First-Years, Only Small Changes in Racial Diversity
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