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Local schools help attract professors

Five years ago, when University chemistry professor Bob Cava chaperoned his son Miles' class trip to Gettysburg, he learned a new meaning for the word "bond."

"It was pretty hilarious camping out at a state campground with about 100 fifth graders," Cava chuckled. "We spent a couple days there. It was terrific."

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The trip was part of a unit on American history that Miles' class at Littlebrook Elementary School was studying. And, as Cava says, it represents just one example of the many perks that the Princeton public school system offers its students.

Indeed, Cava recalled that the high quality of Princeton's public schools played a key role in his decision to accept a position at the University in 1996. Cava, who lived in Bridgewater, N.J., at the time, considered accepting a position in California, but decided against it because of the state's poorly regarded public school system.

"I had a family with kids. I couldn't make the decision to come here without being sure my family would have a good life," he said.

"Princeton clearly had the best public school system," he added, noting that real-estate agents are quick to mention this fact to families considering moving to the area.

Indeed, school "report cards" and various rankings consistently confirm that Princeton's schools are among the finest in the state — and the nation.

Last March, Princeton High School placed 26th out of 472 public schools across the nation in a Newsweek magazine ranking, based on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examination scores.

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Students at Princeton's John Witherspoon Middle School also consistently score well on statewide examinations such as the Grade 8 Proficiency Exam, the school's assistant principal Leslie Turbeville said.

"The kids really score high [on the exam]. They do well," he said. "[The school] has a really great student body and staff."

In addition to high test scores, some professors say they like the area schools' focus on creativity and the arts.

"There is an emphasis on self-expression — arts and crafts, music," said music professor Rob Wegman, whose seven-year-old daughter Sara attends Riverside Elementary School. "[Sara] comes home full of stories."

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"Riverside does exactly what I would like a school to do — to make sure she has a good experience and enjoys [school]," he said.

University history professor Elizabeth Lunbeck added that she values the cultural and ethnic diversity found both at Princeton High School and at Community Park Elementary, where her two sons attend the 10th grade and the fourth grade, respectively.

"In Princeton there's one high school for the whole town. It's very integrated," Lunbeck explained. "There are a number of kids who come in from all over the world."

Like Cava, Lunbeck said she also considered taking a position in another area, but favored Princeton partly because of its school system.

"I'm pretty happy with everything. In general they are very good schools," she said.

The University, too, tries to ensure that students in Princeton-area schools receive the best possible education, said Pam Hersh, director of community and state affairs at the University.

"We're extremely interested in the quality of the public schools in this community and we try to work closely with them all the time," Hersh said.

The University's Office of Teacher Preparation plays a key role in this endeavor. Through this program, high school students who have exhausted all the courses in a certain subject area, such as math or chemistry, can enroll in continuing courses in that subject at the University, free of charge.

In addition, the Teachers as Scholars program invites area teachers to participate in day-long seminars taught by University faculty.

New Jersey teachers are also encouraged to take continuing education courses at the University at a discounted rate of $600 per class — the same rate members of the University faculty and staff pay.

"We've always had a very good, positive relationship [with area schools]," said Todd Kent, associate director of the Office of Teacher Preparation.

"There's a healthy exchange between the University and the surrounding schools," he added.

Turbeville, who has worked in the Princeton school system for 20 years, voiced a similar opinion.

"The University has always been extremely collaborative and cooperative [with the schools]," he said. "A great number of students are the children of professors at the University. Professors visit the schools, help with presentations and bring their skills to the classroom."

And this positive relationship between the University and area schools helps to ensure that professors are content in their positions at Princeton.

"[The school system] is definitely one of the reasons I'm happy here [at the University]," Wegman said.

"One of the best parts of living here is the schools," he added. "It's not just the fancy restaurants and the nice houses."