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ol
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www.theprincetonsun.com

Celebrating
diversity
in Princeton

Elementary school
enrollment growth
creates BOE dilemma

A night at the circus

Inaugural Welcoming
Week is Sept. 1625

Superintendent Steve Cochrane seeks

feedback from Princetons Board
of Education about growing class sizes

By ERICA CHAYES WIDA

The Sun
Come Sept. 20, Princeton will
be weaving its multicultural fabric through the open space of
Hinds Plaza. Volunteers will represent the mix of countries, traditions and ethnic backgrounds living within the town, and all with
a story to share are welcome.
This celebration of diversity is
one of many events to distinguish
Princeton as a welcoming community. From Sept. 16 to Sept. 25,
Princeton will participate in Welcoming Week the period set
forth by Welcoming America to
demonstrate communities in its
network are open to everyone.
Welcoming America is a national organization leading a
movement of the all-inclusive
community the kind that embraces immigrants and fosters
opportunity. It encourages cities
and counties throughout the U.S.
to join its network and support its
mission through action. Last
year, there were 245 events in
more than 80 communities.
Princeton is now one of these.
please see TOURS, page 10

FREE

AUG. 2430, 2016

By ERICA CHAYES WIDA

The Sun

ERICA CHAYES WIDA/The Sun

Princeton High School senior Gus Binnie masters plate spinning while rehearsing with Ribcage Circus. The troupe which
features a number of Princeton residents was readying to
perform to an audience of parents and youngsters last week.
For more photos and a story, see page 7.

According to Superintendent
Steve Cochrane, student enrollment for the upcoming school
year is busting at the seams for
Princetons public elementary
schools. With kindergarten registration records reaching an alltime high, especially at Riverside,
Cochrane has had to shift sections i.e., the number of classes
per grade and so class sizes are
climbing to a less than ideal capacity.
Maintaining smaller class
sizes at the elementary level is absolutely crucial to our mission,
Board President Andrea Spalla
said.
Weve been surprised to see
the statistics at an elementary
level. Community Park had
around 50 registered kindergartners last year and its jumped
now to about 78, Cochrane said.
Its hard to tell now whether this
is an anomaly or if it is going to

be a trend.
Community Park is facing the
most serious adjustment with
new students, since two developments are near completion within its zoning region. AvalonBay,
according to Cochrane, has produced 30 incoming youngsters to
CP, most of whom are in grades
kindergarten and first. At this
point, only 10 percent of the
apartment buildings 280 units
have been rented.
The district demographer projected AvalonBay to generate approximately 135 students districtwide. However, AvalonBays
director said this number was uncharacteristically high for buildings similar to this one, such as in
the neighboring district of West
Windsor.
The most pressing dilemma at
CP is where to put the students
when they trickle in throughout
the school year. Kindergarten
now has four sections with about
please see COCHRANE, page 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Room to Read
Working to educate children
around the globe. PAGE 2

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Police Report . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Editorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 THE PRINCETON SUN AUG. 2430, 2016

One organization, millions of children educated

Locals Ranjana Rao and Sarah Branon illuminate the results of international organization Room to Read
By ERICA CHAYES WIDA

MORE ONLINE

The Sun
Two years before the turn of
the millennium, John Wood, Microsofts then director of marketing, went hiking in Nepal. He visited a small village with dilapidated schools and no books for the
children to read. Upon returning
to the States, Wood organized a
book drive and returned to the
schools with thousands of pages
ready to be pored through.
For areas such as Nepal, however, learning to read is not easily
achieved. In addition to the lack
of resources often being the
books themselves the dependence on labor in impoverished
cultures often prevents young
children, especially girls, from remaining in school.
When Wood returned from his
trip, he saw his deed as only an
immediate solution for one school
on one mountain in the Himalayas in one country. It was not
enough. At the peak of his corporate career, Wood, age 35, left Microsoft and began a grassroots
nonprofit that would soon change
the world of education from the

Princetons world musical acts

will be supporting global education with a concert Sept. 11
at 3 p.m. at Princeton High
School. To learn about the talent and the cause, visit
ThePrincetonSun.com

Special to The Sun

Princeton volunteers Sarah Branon (left) and Ranjana Rao discuss their passion for helping children
learn to read and stay in school throughout Africa and Indonesia.
inside out.
Room to Read is an intimate organization that includes a giant
umbrella of volunteers from Europe, Africa, Australia, Switzerland, India and Asia. It not only

delivers books to communities

throughout Indonesia and Africa
all of which are published in regions local languages but engages and partners with schools,
village leaders and governments

to ensure there is funding and resources for well-trained teachers

and aids, libraries and librarians
and even the schools themselves.
Engaging in your mother
tongue is what really helps you

become academically connected,

said Room to Read Central New
Jersey Chapter Leader Ranjana
Rao while sipping an iced chai beside her fellow chapter leader
Sarah Branon, who taught English and history at Stuart Country Day School for 25 years. Both
women are local to Princeton.
Rao, like many of Room to
Reads 60,000 volunteers and staff,
has a business background as
well as a degree in public policy.
She was raised in India and had
the fortune of attending good
schools but understands there are
many children who cannot.
This was a natural fit for me
too perfect to be true. Were solution providers, and if there is a
please see ROOM, page 10

Motorcyclist suffers injuries after being struck on Mercer Road

The following reports are provided by the Princeton Police Department.
At approximately 2:20 p.m. on
Aug. 13, Princeton police responded for a
motor vehicle collision
involving a motorcyclist and two vehicles
on Mercer Road at the
Mercer Road bridge. The motorcyclist, a 34-year-old male from
Trenton, was traveling northbound on a 2013 Kawasaki and
failed to navigate a curve in the
roadway and struck a southbound 2000 Volkswagon driven by
a 35-year-old Princeton male. The
motorcyclist was thrown from the
motorcycle and struck a second
southbound vehicle, a 2006 Prius

driven by a 31-year-old Princeton

female.
The motorcyclist sustained serious internal injuries and was
transported to Capital Health Regional in Trenton by
the Princeton First Aid
squad and paramedics
from Capital Health.
The drivers of both vehicles were uninjured.
Mercer Road was closed for approximately three hours for the
investigation. The Princeton Fire
Police assisted with traffic control. As of last Tuesday, the investigation remains open and no
summonses have been issued at
this point.

police
report

Aug. 16
Subsequent to a welfare check

on Bunn Drive, a 51-year-old

Brooklyn, N.Y., male was found to
have numerous warrants for his
arrest that were issued by multiple jurisdictions. He was placed
under arrest and transported to
police headquarters where he
was processed and later released
on his own recognizance.

Aug. 15
An outdoor statue valued between $500-$1,000 was stolen from
a front porch on Evelyn Place.
The incident remains under investigation.

Aug. 14
Subsequent to a found property
investigation, an 18-year-old Trenton male was found to be in possession of two fictitious identifi-

cation cards. He was arrested

and charged with tampering with
public records.

Aug. 13
Subsequent to a motor vehicle
stop on Nassau Street for driving
with no headlights on, a 19-yearold Princeton female was found to
have a warrant for her arrest. The
warrant was issued by the Princeton Municipal Court in the
amount of $145. She was placed
under arrest and transported to
police headquarters where she
was processed and later released
on her own recognizance.
Subsequent to a motor vehicle
lockout, a 50-year-old Jersey City
female was found to have an active warrant for her arrest that

was issued by the Jersey City Municipal Court for $100. She was
placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters
where she was processed and released after posting bail.

Aug. 11
A home on the 600 block of
Snowden Lane was burglarized
sometime within the last week.
Forced entry was used and the intruders gained access through
the rear of the home. The investigation was turned over to the Detective Bureau for further investigation.
Subsequent to a suspicious incident call near the 200 block of
please see COMPUTER, page 9

AUG. 2430, 2016 THE PRINCETON SUN 3

Dr. Mary V. DeCicco

Newspaper Media Group acquires

the Sun Newspapers in New Jersey
Richard Donnelly, principal of
Newspaper Media Group and its
affiliates, announced that he has
acquired The Sun Newspapers
based in Haddonfield from
Elauwit Media. The Sun Newspapers are published weekly in nine
towns in South Jersey as well as
in Princeton in Central Jersey.
The Suns have won numerous
awards for distinguished journalism over the last decade, including a number of awards from the
Society of Professional Journalists in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in categories competing with daily
newspapers.
Donnelly, president of Donnelly Distribution in Pennsauken recently purchased Broad Street
Media, where he was a minority
owner. This acquisition represents his intent to grow the business in key markets and further
build out Broad Street Medias
news and content enhancement
strategy.
Journalistic excellence and
community involvement is a key
piece of our strategy, Donnelly
said. This transaction cements

us further in key communities in

New Jersey, and enhances our
team with a high-quality editorial
component.
Joe Eisele, publisher of The
Sun Newspapers, will continue to
lead the advertising and business
operations of The Sun group. Tim
Ronaldson, executive editor and
general manager, will continue to
lead news and production. Dan
McDonough Jr., founder and
chairman of Elauwit Media, will
join the Newspaper Media Group
team as a consultant helping to
leverage the news and digital acumen of The Sun Newspapers for
the entire Newspaper Media
Group organization.
Broad Street Media, founded in
2010, publishes a group of community newspapers and specialty
products with a total combined
circulation of more than a half
million. These include South
Philly Review, Northeast Times,
the Star and Philadelphia Weekly
in Philadelphia; the Midweek
Wire in Bucks County, Pa.; Montgomery County Living magazine
in Montgomery County, Pa.; the

Wire newspaper, and Gloucester

County Living and Burlington
County Living magazines in
southern New Jersey; Employment Weekly in Philadelphia and
New Jersey; the Princeton Packet
in New Jersey; and Football Stories magazine in New Jersey.
Elauwit Media, founded in
2004, has been named multiple
times to the Inc. 5000 list of the
fastest-growing companies in the
U.S., and has been named by
Philadelphia Business Journal as
one of the fastest-growing companies in South Jersey. The Sun
Newspapers are published in
Haddonfield,
Moorestown,
Voorhees, Cherry Hill, Marlton,
Mount Laurel, Medford, Shamong, Tabernacle and Princeton.
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4 THE PRINCETON SUN AUG. 2430, 2016

Cochrane: We will need to be

making decisions regarding zoning
COCHRANE
Continued from page 1

17 to 20 seats in each. The first

grade is consistent with the other
grades with three sections but is
currently disproportionate because of the successful pilot program, Dual Language Immersion.
At CP, two of the first-grade classes are taught in both English and
Spanish these have 19 students
enrolled in each and the other
class is for those not participating; this class is teeming at 28.
I am looking to reach out to
the parents to see if they would
like their children to enroll in
Dual Language. Many of those
newly enrolled are not aware the
program exists, Cochrane said.
I expect there to be a positive re-

sponse.
Still, the unpredictable influx
of students to come from AvalonBay, as well as from the Princeton
University graduate housing development on Route 206, Merwick-Stanworth, has created
quite the dilemma.
One option is to zone Merwick-Stanworth in the Johnson
Park school district, Cochrane
said.
Cochrane said that while student numbers increase, additional buses will not be needed in the
Witherspoon area.
Riverside Elementary School
also experienced a rise in kindergarten enrollment. Cochrane
added a section to that grade to
make classes of 15 to 16 students,
which caused the third grades
two sections to have about 25 students in each.
We will need to be making de-

cisions regarding zoning and

making an additional third-grade
section at Riverside, Cochrane
said. I recommend we move forward with that so we can begin
the interviewing process.
In other news:
Money from a federal fund for
professional development will be
providing training by the Center
for Supportive Schools for the
Princeton High School Peer
Group leaders.
The district is rebooting the
peer group program that will affect its curriculum additional
emphasis will be placed on race
and culture and the way peer
leaders are chosen. Peer group
leaders take the class as an elective.
The curriculum will begin this
school year, but the selection
process will only affect peer leaders for the 2017-2018 school year.

on campus
The following students from
Princeton received academic accolades:
The following individuals were
named to the Tufts University
deans list for the spring semester:
Jeremy
Goldsmith,
Robert
Hrabchak, Hugo Meggitt, Sophia
Siciliano, Jeffrey Straus, Brian
Tesser and Nicola van Manen.
Anna Williams made the spring
dean's list at Pratt Institute.
Alec Heyer was named to Beck-

er College dean's list for the

spring semester.
Olivia Zucosky was named to
the Colgate University deans list
for the spring semester.
National Guard soldier Michael
Cruz completed training exercise
at the Army's Joint Readiness
Training Center.
Nicole Patel of Princeton
earned a bachelors degree in biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in May.

PROFESSIONAL WEBSITES.
PEASANT PRICES.

AUG. 2430, 2016 THE PRINCETON SUN 5

Wilson-Apple Funeral Home

Near-empty Princeton University

campus makes for ideal walkabout
Looking for something to do on a summer afternoon?
Take a tip from these Princetonians and stroll university grounds

By ERICA CHAYES WIDA

The Sun
Despite many residents having
a hand in Princeton University,
whether through work or school,
a divide remains between community and academic affairs. The
university often seems to function as its own town within the
town. Yet its sprawling campus
serves as a pathway to many culturally, artistically and aesthetically stimulating activities for the
public.
In summer, the relatively
empty grounds beckon many a
visitor to come see what little
slices the university has to offer.
Ah, the architecture, said
Gunnar Rustay, a Raritan Valley
Community College student from
Flemington who appreciates the
local record store and PUs historic buildings.
We just like coming here, his
friend, Jeannie Krupinski, added.
[Were] enjoying the scenic environment, the nice day and this
lack of humidity.
Rustay and Krupinski were not
the only ones taking advantage of
the beautiful property for an afternoon stroll.
Susan Friedman and Dan

# """ "

t
en
Op

hru

29
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b
to
Oc

Open June 4th-October 29th Saturdays, 9AM to 1PM

ERICA CHAYES WIDA/The Sun

Susan Friedman and Dan Cohen hang with their dogs Moriah and
Ellie on the steps at PU campus.

S
SPONSORS
PONSORS
Cohen know the university well.
Cohen came to Princeton for
graduate school in 1986 and never
left. He and his wife settled in
town and raised two sons. Now
that the boys have headed off to
college, the house has been filled

B
Blue
lue R
Ribbon
ibbon S
Sponsor:
ponsor: Princeton
Princeton D
Design
esign G
Guild
uild
Market
Market Patron:
Patron: LMI
LMI Landscape
Landscape Materials
Materials IInc
nc
Market
Market P
Patron:
atron: Terra
Teerra Momo
Momo
Cedar
Cedar S
Shed
hed S
Sponsor
ponsor C
Clyde
lyde R
River
iver C
Christmas
hristmas Tr
Tree
ree Farm
Farm

with the company of two black

labs, Moriah, 5, and Ellie, 3, who
trot through campus on the regular.
This is our dog park, Cohen
please see RESIDENT, page 6

Band Sponsors:
Sponsors: LLili
ili B
's, R
adiation D
ata, P
rinceton O
rthopaedic G
roup,
Band
B's,
Radiation
Data,
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Group,
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st C
onstitution Bank
Bank of
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of R
ocky Hill,
Hill, Nassau
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Teennis Club
Constitution
Rocky
IIndividual
ndividual Sponsors:
Sponsors: Mary
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ary R
eece, A
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ark TTaylor,
aylor, JJaci
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6 THE PRINCETON SUN AUG. 2430, 2016

in our opinion

PARCC is here to stay

145 Witherspoon Street

Princeton, NJ 08542
609-751-0245

Like it or not, passing the standardized test will soon be a requirement

Richard Donnelly

he state Board of Education

adopted a measure earlier this
month that will require high
school students to pass the infamous
PARCC tests in English and math to
graduate high school.
While the controversial PARCC tests
have been administered for two years
now, they havent meant much to students futures. Starting with the class
of 2021, which will enter eighth grade
this fall, passing the Algebra I and
10th-grade English part of the test will
be a requirement to receive a high
school diploma.
PARCC has been a highly controversial standardized test since it was first
put into effect two years ago. Opponents feel, among numerous other
things, that the test is too hard, that
its too tough for kids to take entirely
on a computer and that it bucks the
nationwide trend of moving away
from standardized testing in general.
In the last four years, the number of
states that require students to pass an

Your thoughts
What do you think about PARCC being a
graduation requirement for high school?
Share your thoughts on this, and other
topics, through a letter to the editor.

exit exam for graduation has been reduced almost in half from 25 in 2012
to 15 currently. Concerns range from
low passing rates preventing a large
number of students from graduating
to simply too much testing.
New Jersey, though, feels differently.
State Education Commissioner David
Hespe says the 2021 effective date of
PARCC as a graduation requirement
will give school districts and students
enough time to adjust to the new test
and improve upon their scores.
Lets hope hes right on that last
point, as only 41 percent of test takers
passed Algebra I last year and only 44
percent passed 10th-grade English.
We tend to agree with Hespe on this
point, though. Many students who
took the test the last two years knew it

didnt matter, so it would be no surprise if we could assume that many

didnt take the test seriously. Make the
test a graduation requirement, and
students will be more likely to try
harder.
While we dont necessarily like the
PARCC test in all forms, were not so
hell-bent against standardized testing
as a graduation requirement, in general. Education in New Jersey has always been held to a higher standard,
and its paid off; our students rank
higher than most in other states.
Can PARCC itself be improved and
better reflect a students learning? Of
course. But theres time to do that before 2021. Frankly, every student who
graduates high school in our state
should have the ability to pass a test in
Algebra I and 10th-grade English. How
those tests are administered, and how
they align with what we teach our
children in the classroom are what
need to be ironed out between now and
when its too late.

Resident: Museum is this big, amazing space

RESIDENT
Continued from page 5
said with a smile. We come here almost
every day.
These two girls replaced our two boys,
Friedman said chuckling.
Friedman also raved about the universitys Cotsen Childrens Library and the kids
programming at the Princeton University
Art Museum.

My kids have grown up but the library

just has divine programming, Friedman
said. And the museum is this big, amazing
space that makes for such great learning.
Ya know, Wheres the statue, which painting is missing a finger, go find the Asian
demon with blue hair!
Not everyone was meandering on a lovely weekend, nor had all the students gone
home.
Three rising sophomores stopped to engage in some dialogue with Lee Eric Newton, a Princeton resident whod taken a
seat at the university gates on Nassau

Street with campaign signs.

The students, Rene Rodriguez, Amina
Sahibousidq and Laura Pena, were immersed in political discussion lending insights and listening attentively to Newton,
who appeared to be twice their age and
have radically different views on the upcoming presidential election.
As they stood at the mouth of the campus, other Princetonians paused to hear
their conversation, a young boy chimed in
as he passed, and a couple of musicians
moseyed by unphased by the heated academic banter.

ceo oF NeWspAper MediA Group

Tim Ronaldson

Joe Eisele

executive editor

publisher

MANAGiNG editor

Kristen Dowd
Erica Chayes Wida
Art director Stephanie Lippincott
AdvertisiNG director Arlene Reyes

seNior priNcetoN editor

The Sun is published weekly by Newspaper

Media Group, 145 Witherspoon Street,
Princeton, NJ 08542. It is mailed weekly to
select addresses in the 08542 and 08540 ZIP
codes. If you are not on the mailing list, sixmonth subscriptions are available for
$39.99.
PDFs of the publication are online, free of
charge. For information, please call 609751-0245.
To submit a news release, please email
news@theprincetonsun.com.
For advertising information, call (609)
751-0245 or email advertising@theprincetonsun.com.
The Sun welcomes comments from readers
including any information about errors that
may call for a correction to be printed.
SPEAK UP
The Sun welcomes letters from readers.
Brief and to the point is best, so we look for
letters that are 300 words or fewer. Include
your name, address and phone number. We
do not print anonymous letters. Send letters
to news@theprincetonsun.com, via fax at
609-751-0245, or via the mail. Of course,
you can drop them off at our office, too.
The Princeton Sun reserves the right to
reprint your letter in any medium including electronically.

AUG. 2430, 2016 THE PRINCETON SUN 7

Come one, come all to Ribcage Circus

Meet the lively local teens who created Princetons self-directed circus troupe
By ERICA CHAYES WIDA
The Sun
Beside the old Hopewell train
station, a troupe of Princeton
teens energized the Wednesday
evening air. They tossed colorful
rings, catapulted into the air for a
hug and engaged the audience of
adults and children with an unbeatable expressive attitude. This
group of 12 lively performers,
whove
dubbed
themselves
Ribcage Circus, is the states
only self-directed youth circus
troupe and the successor to
Princetons iconic Stone Soup
Circus, which enlivened Princeton for 8 years until it merged
with a circus group and moved to
Hillsborough.
We formed Ribcage Circus [in
2015] because disbanding was
never an option we considered.
That change from Stone Soup was
confusing for us at first, but we
lost no time and the change was
what we needed to harness our
momentum into the work we accomplished this past year, said
Nora Schultz, a local who will remain with the circus as she attends her sophomore year at
Princeton University.
Other circus members include
Max Gorman, Cami Poniz, Winston Peloso, Ruth Schultz, Gus
Binnie and Emily Becker, all
Princeton High School juniors
and seniors, and Princeton Day
School sophomore Amon DeVane.
Other members will be going off
to college come fall, including
Natasha Shatzkin, Brown University freshman, Rosalind Stengle,
University of Wisconsin freshman, Zo Nadeau, McGill University freshman, and Iona Binnie, a
sophomore at Williams College.
Ribcage is a flexible troupe in
more ways than one. Not only can
they do flips, twists and contortion, but they are also willing to
bring their talent to a range of
spaces.
Well perform anywhere,
Shatzkin said confidently. We do
outside events with more of a
street performance style, weve
performed an act at the American
Youth Circus Organization Festi-

ERICA CHAYES WIDA/The Sun

Above left, Natasha Shatzkin, a Princeton resident to attend Brown

University in the fall, clearly has other skills besides academics!
Above right, Winston Peloso, PHS junior, boasts balancing skills. At
right, top, a unicycle balancing act is not an easy feat! At right, bottom, getting the audience involved in a serious game of jump rope.
val. Since a love for performance
is part of what brought each of us
to the circus, any chance we getwell take. Our favorite type of
venue is theaters, where we can
fully control the audiences experience.
The connection between us as
entertainers and our audience
was so vibrant and visible,
added Peloso.
With four of the members leaving for college, the troupe plans to
continue training and sharing the
wonder of the circus with the
community through workshops
and shows. A reunion show is already in the works for Thanksgiving break in November.
In the meantime, Ribcage is
welcoming new members for the
fall and would love to hear from
any local kids between the ages of
14 and 19 looking to join the circus. For more information, visit
ribcagecircus.com,
facebook.com/ribcagecircus or
email ribcagecircus@gmail.com
To learn more about Princetons circus, see the Q&A below.
The Sun: When Stone Soup Circus, Princeton's iconic circus act,
came to an end after 8 years, how
were you affected? Was it difficult

to not have a creative outlet for

your acrobatic interests?
Schultz: We fed the Stone Soup
Circus, and it fed us. This duality
made the ending of it difficult,
but ultimately it has been a catalyst for new energy and ideas.
Weve faced the technical challenges of space and insurance,
but we never lost our creative outlet. We practiced in parks and
basements and put together a fulllength show over the course of
our first year on our own.
The Sun: How did you choose
the name Ribcage Circus?
Shatzkin: Ribcage Circus is an
odd name, well all admit. Its fitting, though there are 12 of us,
like 12 ribs, and after years of circus training, were all pretty sturdy. A few years ago, we were
working on a trick where Iona
bent into a backbend, or bridge,
and a pyramid stacked on top of
her. The second layer of the pyramid was based on her ribcage. We
started, as a joke, to call the trick
and ourselves ribcage circus,
and when it came time to name
our troupe, we had an obvious
choice.
The Sun: Which circus tricks
have been the most exciting or

challenging to master? What are

some tricks you're working on at
present? Tricks you hope to
achieve one day?
Ruth: For me, the most challenging thing Ive ever worked on
in circus is hand balancing. Right
now, thats the main thing Im
training, and its teaching me a
lot about patience and perseverance. One of the most exciting
things to learn is unicycling. At
first, a unicycle seems wobbly
and totally impossible to ride, but
after practice, it begins to feel
more sturdy eventually, to the
point where you can ride it across
a room. In circus, the relationship
between practice and achievement is often very direct, which is
satisfying.
Peloso: I've been working on
skills in all different disciplines of
circus. I'm on my way to juggling
four balls, and landing a back
tuck. I also mess around on the
trapeze and silks sometimes, and
maybe in the future I'll focus
more on those.
The Sun: Where did the idea to
involve your audience come
from? How do you see your audiences benefit from the workshops?

Ruth: Audience interaction has

always been an important part of
our performances. Were audience members in circus shows
more frequently than were onstage, so we understand how effective it is for the fourth wall to
be broken. Weve also been exposed to British-style Pantomime,
which is based on audience participation. The benefits of circus
be it from seeing a show, participating in a workshop, or training
circus for years are endless.
From a workshop, audience members can simply get the new and
exciting experience of getting to
walk on a rolling globe, or they
could discover self-esteem and
confidence while succeeding at
devil sticks or juggling. Either
way, everybody leaves smiling,
and thats how we know weve
done our job.
The Sun: What is your favorite
Ribcage moment of all time, well
at least since 2015?
Ruth: I think we can all agree
that the highlight of our year was
our show, No Idling, which we
performed in June. After spending the school year writing, planning and rehearsing, everything
finally came together!

CALENDAR

PAGE 8

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THURSDAY AUGUST 25
Mercer County ID Program: All
Mercer County residents are eligible for the community ID card, a
photo identification card providing personal identifying information, medical risk factors and
emergency contact information.
The card is issued by the Latin
American Legal Defense & Education Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group. $10 per card/$5 youth
under 21 and seniors over 65. For
additional information, visit
www.laldef.org. Princeton Public
Library, noon 2 p.m. and 5:30
7 p.m. Also Aug. 7, 2 4 p.m.
Princeton Farmers Market: Seasonal produce from local farmers,
flowers, crafts and a variety of
edibles are available through 4
p.m. at this weekly event. Live
music from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Hinds
Plaza, 11 a.m.
SCORE: Employment Law Seminar
for the Small Business Owner:
Attorney Nancy Mahony gives a
presentation on avoiding common mistakes made by employ-

ers with respect to hiring, promoting and terminating employees. Q&A will follow. Register at
princeton.score.org. Princeton
Public Library, 6:30 p.m.
Writing Workshop: Receive helpful,
constructive critique on booklength works aimed from peers.
Participants range from published authors to those looking to
improve their skills. Workshop
leader is Don Donato. Princeton
Public Library, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY AUGUST 26
Job Seeker Sessions: The library
and Professional Services Group
of Mercer County sponsor sessions for professionals who are
seeking new employment and
contracting
opportunities
throughout the region. Please
check the librarys website for
specific topics. Princeton Public
Library, 9:45 a.m.
LEGO: Children in grades one to five
participate in a non-competitive
community-based LEGO session,
including building time and
round-table discussion. LEGOs

AUG. 2430, 2016

WANT TO BE LISTED?
Send information by email
to: news@theprinceton
sun.com.
provided by Judy David. Duplo
blocks will be available for
younger children outside the Story Room. Princeton Public
Library, 4 p.m.
Family Game Night: Teen volunteers will help set up various
board games in the Story Room
for a night of family fun. Princeton Public Library, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY AUGUST 27
Science Storytime: Readings of
"Mira Forecasts the Future" and
"The Bot That Scott Built" with
activities to follow. Call (609) 750
9010 for more information.
Princeton Barnes & Noble, 11 a.m.
Summer Music Series: Music every
Saturday through Aug. 27. Bring
lawn chairs and picnics. Free and

open to the public. The Green of

Palmer Square, 2 4 p.m.
Meditation, Kirtan, Bhagavad-gita
- Hidden Treasure of the Sweet
Absolute: For more information,
visit bviscs.org. Princeton Bhakti
Vedanta Institute, 20 Nassau St.,
2 p.m.
5 Star Shameless Name Dropping
Walking Tour: Join Princeton
Tour Company to learn about the
greats who roamed Princeton
through the ages. $25 per adult,
$20 kids 12 and younger. Meet at
116 Nassau St., 4 6 p.m.

SUNDAY AUGUST 28
Surfaces Seen and Unseen: African
Art at Princeton examines how
ornamental and ritual additions
to the evolving surfaces of
African sculptures alter an
objects appearance and power
over the course of its lifetime.
The exhibition also showcases
the museums growing African
collection and loans from private
collections. PUAM is open 1 5
p.m. Sundays. Free and open to
the public.

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AUG. 2430, 2016 THE PRINCETON SUN 9

Computer, video game

system stolen from
Cedar Lane home
COMPUTER
Continued from page 2
Nassau Street, the accused, a 29year-old Philadelphia
male, was found to be
in possession of a
weapon. He was placed
under
arrest
and
transported to headquarters where he was processed
and released with a pending court
date.

Subsequent to a found property

call, a 60-year-old Trenton male
was found to have active warrants for his arrest that were issued by the Trenton Municipal
Court and the Bordentown Municipal Court. He was
placed under arrest
and transported to police
headquarters,
where
he
was
processed and released
on his own recognizance by both
courts.

police
report

Aug. 10
Subsequent to a motor vehicle
stop for an inspection sticker violation, a 21-year-old Skillman female was found to have a $500
warrant for her arrest that was issued by the Princeton Municipal
Court. She was placed under arrest and transported to police
headquarters, where she was
processed and later released after
bail was posted.

A victim reported that sometime in the last five weeks a laptop computer and video game system was stolen from inside his
home, which is located on the
PSA
first block of Cedar Lane. The incident remains under investigation.

Safe Haven for Infants

in New Jersey
(877) 839-2339

Email us at news@theprincetonsun.com

OBITUARIES
The Sun will print obituaries,
free of charge.

Your Dog

In A Loving Home
NOT A KENNEL!
www.
OUR HOME
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10 THE PRINCETON SUN AUG. 2430, 2016

Be social.

Room to Read founded in 1998

Like us on
Facebook!

ROOM
Continued from page 2

www.facebook.com/
princetonsun

The Sun isn't

just in print. Like
us on Facebook
for additional
photos, stories
and tidbits of
information
about your town.

Tell us your news.

Well tell
everyone else.
* Getting married?
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* Need to thank someone?
Send news and photos to
The Princeton Sun via email
to news@theprincetonsun.com.

problem we will solve it. Most of

us in the West could never imagine what these girls go through
daily. Our problems are insignificant in comparison, Rao said.
On Sept. 11, Room to Read will
host A World of Music at
Princeton High Schools TregoBiancosino Auditorium to help
support its cause. Acclaimed
Princeton musicians, from the
PHS all-female vocal ensemble
Cloud Nine to local poet Carlos
Hernandez Pena, will take the
stage. For information about the
concert,
visit
roomtoread.org/centralnj, contact Rao at raortr@gmail.com, or
check theprincetonsun.com.
Its a great teaching moment
for our students here. Both in private and public schools letting
our kids know how lucky we are,
Rao said. We are all global citizens. I think its really helping

children see and be exposed to

something that will actuate
change. It makes me feel empowered.
Since Wood co-founded Room
to Read with Erin Ganju in 1998,
the organization has exceeded its
goals of reaching 10 million children by 2015 and now aims to affect 15 million by 2020.
We are scaling this issue,
Branon said of bringing education into the lives of young
women and children. Its go big
or go home.
Room to Reads progress is
monitored through the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and
annual reports are posted on its
website so anyone can follow its
headway transparently.
The books Room to Read publishes are often illustrated by
artists living in the areas they are
brought to. The organization has
also, since its inception, ignited a
movement to encourage young
women to continue learning
throughout their lives.
In many of these countries,

girls will go to grade school but

then drop out by the time theyre
in their early teens to work at
home, act as a secondary caregiver or even be married, Branon
said. Since our program started
to help these women stay in
school, it has had a 95 percent success rate, with many of the
women succeeding, rather competitively, and being admitted to
college.
In every town Room to Read
works with, there is a Saheli
which means friend in Hindi
to help the young women in the
program. These women, according to Rao, are the change agents
at a grassroots level. They work
with the parents, the villages and
the local governments solely to
support girls in attaining a better
education.
Both Rao and Branon spend
their time and energy in this
movement. They connect with
local residents, students, businesses and corporations to provide education for more students
globally.

Tours planned throughout Welcome Week

TOURS
Continued from page 1

Welcoming Week is important

because it gives us an opportunity as a town to reflect on how our
community has been shaped by
newcomers from the Great Migration to Irish, Italians, Latinos
and
other
immigrants
to
refugees, said Elisa Neira, executive director of the Princeton
Department of Human Services
and one of the forces behind the
event.
To encourage such reflection,
Neira and a team of local volunteers from teenagers to adults
will be working on a series of stories about local immigrants. According to Neira, students from
Stuart Day School have already
begun interviewing nearly a
dozen first-generation immigrants who own businesses in
Princeton. They hope to use the
examples of these individuals ex-

periences living and working in

Princeton to enlighten the
greater community about the international presence that exists
in its day to day.
Neira seeks to organize student-led tours of the businesses
during Welcoming Week so local
patrons can develop an in-depth
understanding of where they can
or are already shopping.
Another facet to Princetons
Welcoming Week is history. Being
one of the last Jim Crow towns in
the Northern states, Princeton
has not always celebrated its wonderful diversity. The Albert E.
Hinds Memorial Walking Tour,
created and narrated by long-time
local Shirley Satterfield, is one of
the ways the community honors
African American history and its
intrinsic value to the development of Princeton as the prosperous and desirable town it is today.
Satterfield will be hosting
tours throughout Welcoming
Week and with the help of human
services will be switching up the
usual narration by making it

bilingual.
We are hoping to reach out to
all people in the WitherspoonJackson community by giving
tours in both English and Spanish, Neira said.
Princeton Human Services will
accommodate anyone who would
like to participate or be highlighted during Welcoming Week. The
Sept. 20 celebration in Hinds
Plaza will have plenty of booths
representing many nationalities.
Residents are encouraged to come
show and tell their family histories. For more information, email
ENeira@princetonnj.gov or call
(609) 688-2055.
Being part of Welcoming
America has really re-energized
our commitment to continue our
efforts to build a welcoming and
inclusive community and join in
the efforts of many other cities
and towns across the U.S., Neira
said. We hope Welcoming Week
highlights the contributions of
those who chose Princeton as
their new home and the welcoming spirit of Princetonians.

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