Princeton schools to hold gala celebration Oct. 14 to thank community

After five years of construction and renovation

By: Hilary Parker
   After five years of construction and renovation made possible by an $81.3 million referendum approved in 2001, Princeton Regional Schools on Oct. 14 will express its gratitude to the community with an activity-filled day of "Celebrations," to be held rain or shine.
   "We are delighted with the facilities; the students and staff will certainly benefit from the new resources available to them," said Superintendent Judith Wilson in a written release. "We are very grateful to the community for its great support of the Princeton Regional Schools. We hope as many people as possible will join us for the Saturday celebrations — this is our way of saying ‘Thank You Princeton.’"
   Though students and teachers have been using many of the new facilities in John Witherspoon Middle School and Princeton High School since the start of the school year, the weekend event will mark the official opening of the spaces.
   A trumpet fanfare at 12:30 p.m. by Joe Reardon of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra on an outdoor stage near the new Trego-Biancosino Performing Arts Center will mark the occasion.
   A number of events will run throughout the afternoon from noon to 4 p.m. along Walnut Lane.
   Tours of the new facilities in the high school, led by PHS students, will leave from the lobby of the new, 770-seat state-of-the-art performing arts center. Visitors will have a chance to view the 115,072 square feet of space that has been added to the existing high school, including 12 new science labs, a CAD (computer-aided design) lab, a greenhouse and a new gymnasium, as well as the auditorium. The high school’s Numina Gallery will also be open, with an exhibit by school district artists on view.
   Tours of the new academic wing, the swimming pool and the new gym at the middle school will commence in John Witherspoon Commons. Those who tour the pool area will be entitled to a free pass to a future open swim event at the facility. Games, dances and demonstrations will also take place throughout the afternoon in the gym and on the nearby athletic field.
   For the duration of the afternoon, a festival along Walnut Lane will feature four different areas filled with tables and booths of over 80 organizations, including student groups and more than 30 community partners.
   In the arts area, student organizations including the a cappella student groups will be joined by community organizations including the Princeton Girlchoir, the Princeton Garage Orchestra and the Arts Council of Princeton.
   With a focus on healthy kids, another area will bring together members of school athletic teams and clubs with numerous local vendors and organizations including the Whole Earth Center, the Bent Spoon, HiTOPs and Corner House.
   The literacy area will highlight a number of the district’s clubs, including The Tower newspaper, the Science Olympiad Team, and many others. Community participants with a literacy focus, such as the Princeton Public Library, Princeton Young Achievers and the Littlebrook School PTO, will add to the offerings.
   The final area along Walnut Lane will be devoted to public service. Here, a number of community-minded students will share information about their involvement with Amnesty International, the Environmental Action Club and Model United Nations. They will be joined by parents and other community members in various parent-teacher organizations and foundations working for similar causes.
   In addition to thanking the district’s staff, students, parents, volunteers and community members, the "Celebrations" planning committee said special thanks are in order for those organizations that assisted in underwriting the day’s activities. These include Ernest Bock & Sons Inc., Parker McCay, McCaffrey’s Market, the Princeton University Office for Community and Regional Affairs and Coldwell Banker. In-kind donations were also received from J. McLaughlin Clothier, ShopRite, Wegmans Food Markets and The Frame Shoppe.
   In addition to the tours and festival, a full slate of one-time-only events is scheduled throughout the afternoon. Highlights include a Powder Puff football game on the PHS turf field from 12:30 to 2 p.m., a Battle of the Bands on the outdoor stage beginning at 2 p.m. and a banner dedication ceremony by Friends of Princeton Athletics in the new high school gym at 4 p.m. Various arts organizations will also be showcased in the new auditorium throughout the afternoon.
   All events from noon to 4 p.m. are free and open to the public, who are encouraged to walk or carpool to the event as parking will be extremely limited. At 4:30 p.m. in the arts center lobby, there will be a reception for the donors who helped make the new space possible.
   A by-invitation-only evening gala, beginning at 7, will feature dramatic, orchestral and choral performances by student groups on the new stage. These include the inaugural performance of a five-minute overture by a Princeton resident and district parent, composer Ira Mowitz.
   Specially written for the occasion, the piece will involve all 45 members of the high school orchestra, who will play along with a computer-generated soundtrack piped through the auditorium’s high-tech sound system.
   The performance will be broadcast live on Channel 30.