Princeton Day School

Panthers, what a week!
Orientation ✅ Next stop: September 3rd! Who's ready? 🎉

Current families, don't forget to RSVP for Orientations, which begin tomorrow! All Lower School, all Middle School and new Upper School parents and caregivers are invited, along with all new students and returning students in PreK, K, 5th grade and 9th grade. Detailed information by division is available on our website linked in our comments.

We can't wait to see you! 💙

It’s National Dog Day! 🐾

As we kick off another exciting year on campus, we’re introducing some very important (and adorable) members of our community. Swipe through to meet the beloved pets that keep our PDS employees company.

This week, our PDS family grew bigger and brighter! From campus tours to valuable conversations, our annual New Employee Orientation was a success.
We are ready for the year ahead!!

Dancing in the Dark... with PDS families! 🎸🎶

Head of School Kelley Nicholson-Flynn had a surprise encounter at the Springsteen concert in Philly last night with the Ryan family, including upcoming middle schooler, Quinn '31 and recent PDS grad, Liam '24!

From PDS to Taiwan - Andrew Thallemer '26 is living his childhood dream! ✈️

Thanks to a U.S. Department of State National Security Language Initiative for Youth scholarship, Andrew is immersing himself in Chinese language and culture at the National Tsinghua University.

Read more about Andrew's journey as he navigates classes conducted entirely in Mandarin, making new friends and indulging in local cuisine --- all on just four hours of sleep!

Link in comments.

Associate Director of College Counseling Angela Wang has recently returned from volunteering with College Horizons, a nonprofit founded in 1998 dedicated to increasing Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students enrolling, succeeding and graduating from college, professional and graduate schools.

Her experience was filled with eye-opening moments, meaningful mentorship and a dash of dorm room nostalgia. While her time at the program was brief, her newfound insights will resonate far beyond the nine-day program. Read more about Wang's transformative experience and how her dedication to educational access continues to shape her work at Princeton Day School.

https://www.pds.org/post/~board/news/post/expanding-horizons-insights-from-a-college-horizons-volunteer

Our very own Andrew Dai ’26 is the first place winner of the 2024 Robocup! Taking place in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Andrew and his teammates, (Team New AJE) attended one of the largest AI/Robotics competitions worldwide. With over 2,000 participants, Team New AJE pulled through with a well deserved win. Let’s go, Andrew!! 🤖🏆

Beth He '26 is a 2023-24 USA Fencing High School All-American! Congratulations to Beth for being honored as one of the best fencers in the country.🤩🤺

From PDS to the Pyrenees! Pictured is our très cool Modern Languages Department Chair Laurence Farhat representing PDS at the , just minutes from her home village of Suc-et-Sentenac. 🚴‍♂️🇫🇷

Spotted: Panthers in the wild! Current students Sonia, Rocky and Caroline met incoming students Raina, Laila and Calem for a fun afternoon with new friends. A special thank you to all our parent and guardian volunteers who help new families feel welcome and connected to our wonderful community!

Special shoutout to Ryan Falconi '25 who was recently juried into the High School Ceramics exhibition hosted by the American Museum of Ceramic Art. The competitive show consisted of over 500 applicants. Amazing work, Ryan!! 🖌️

Pictured below is Urban Salt and Pepper Shakers, Cone 6 white stoneware and underglazes, 8” x 4” x 2.”

You can view the full list linked in the comments below.

Davon Reed '13 is Paris-bound!

Reed will represent his heritage on the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation National Team, making history as the squad returns to the Olympics for the first time in 20 years. Be sure to follow along as we cheer for him and Team Puerto Rico! 🇵🇷

Today is the last day to participate in the PDS Annual Fund! Join nearly 2,000 members of the PDS community, far and wide, and make a gift in honor of our students, faculty/staff, and the PDS experience. Thank you to all who have already shown their support. We’re so grateful for your generosity! Click the link in our bio or visit www.pds.org/giveonline.

Already missing PDS and not sure what to do with yourself this summer? Here are a few suggestions from a list sent home to Miss Fine's School students circa the mid 1940s. (Tbh, we really do need to clean our white sneakers).

P.s. We miss you, too!

CONGRATS, 2024! 💙🤍 Thank you for all the ways you made PDS a better place. Cheers to you and your bright futures ahead!

Full story and photos at the link below (more photos to come!).

Tonight, we honor our retiring faculty members and celebrate their extraordinary service and care to our PDS community. Middle School Math Teacher Patricia Davidovich (5 years, in absentia), Middle School Spanish Teacher Cathy Quinlan (6 years), Lower School Technology Coordinator Carol Olson (13 years) and Upper School Science Teacher Carlos Cara P’04 ’06 ’13 (42 years) have impacted hundreds of students and colleagues over their combined 66 years at PDS. While their subject areas may have varied, each reflected a deep commitment to nurturing young minds and helping students become curious, engaged and empowered thinkers. The hallways will feel different in the fall, but we are eager and excited for them in their well-earned retirement and new adventures ahead!

Movin' on up! Congratulations, Middle School — you made it. Cheers to you, and especially to the Class of 2028 as you make the transition to the Upper School! Please see the link in the comments for more photos!

See you next year, Lower School! Congratulations to the Class of 2032 as they transition to the Middle School! 💙🤍 To see more, visit our Flickr page linked in comments.

Innovation in action at our annual STEAMposium celebration! This week, the US Gym transformed from a sports facility into a dynamic and vibrant showcase of MS and US student projects that blurred the traditional boundaries of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). Check out the link in the comments below for more photos.

Congratulations to our Middle School athletic award winners for their athleticism, skills and commitment to leadership on and off the field! From left to right:

Lena Wijaya '28: Panther Award
Natalie Belgrave '28: Spring Athlete of the Season
Director of Middle School Athletics Scott Bertoli
Bobby Frascella '28: Silver P
Aarav Shah '28: Spring Athlete of the Season

From the creation of groundbreaking curriculum to an accidental flooding of the orchestra room involving a colleague's pet duck, Carlos Cara's 42-year tenure at Princeton Day School was filled with remarkable teaching, meaningful mentorship and just a hint of delightful chaos. While the 2023-2024 academic year marks his final at PDS, his profound impact on countless students and colleagues and his deep commitment to nurturing inquisitive, humble scholars will endure. Read more about Cara's legacy via the link in the comments and join us as we congratulate him on on four decades of extraordinary service.

Congratulations to Armaan Agrawal '25, Steven Li '25, Laasya Kanumuri '24 and Ankith Namireddy '26, four members of the PDS Entrepreneurship Club who successfully competed at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Competition in Atlantic City earlier this month! Agrawal and Li competed as a team in the Data Analysis category, while Kanumuri and Namireddy competed together in the Financial Statement Analysis category. Each team went up against multiple New Jersey high schools in an event that attracted thousands of student competitors. After multiple rounds, both teams made it to the state finals and qualified for the national competition to be held in Orlando, Fla., later this summer!

This past weekend, Kyle Xu '27 (pictured here with Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman) won first place at the 12th District Congressional Art Competition for his piece "Breath of Hope." The painting will be on display in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., for an entire year. Congratulations, Kyle!

The had a blast in NYC today at a masterclass led by industry veterans Michael Watson and Michael Dansicker. The duo provided valuable feedback, offered audition advice and spoke on the ins and outs of working professionally in theater. A great day all around! 🎶

This month, our Upper School students gathered twice as a community to honor both Jewish American Heritage Month and Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Through student and faculty reflections, music and dance, we explored the rich cultures, histories, and invaluable contributions of our Jewish American and APIDA communities. Across divisions, students and employees who identify as Jewish or Asian American Pacific Islander were also invited to have their photos taken and displayed on campus. Thank you to all who organized, participated and came together to celebrate our school's diversity and shared humanity!

We thought love was only true in fairytales, too, until we saw last week's Middle School musical production of Shrek Jr! Congratulations to the entire cast and crew for a fantastic run — we're all believers now! To see more photos from the show, visit the link in our bio.

Thanks, mom. 💙✌️

One more month, Panthers 😎. You’ve got this!

To see more springtime smiles, be sure to check out our spring highlights album on Flickr!