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Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS) Sees Strong Enrollment And Names Board Members and Head of School

Princeton, New Jersey, March 20, 2010- The Princeton International Academy Charter School
(PIACS) has filled more than half of the 170 available seats since it opened its application
process in late January 2010. 

PIACS, scheduled to open in September 2010, serves families in the Princeton Regional, South
Brunswick, West Windsor Plainsboro school districts. The school will be the first public school
in these districts to offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum framework as well as
dual language Mandarin-English immersion. For the 2010-2011 school year, PIACS will offer
kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade instruction, and will add one grade each year thereafter. Through
the most recent application period which ended March 13th, PIACS already has 72 enrolled
students with an additional 56 accepted applicants who are completing the enrollment process.
The admissions cycle will continue monthly until PIACS is filled, according to the PIACS web
site. 

Parker Block, Princeton resident and a spokesperson for the school’s founders, confirmed that
kindergarten has filled all available seats and now the school is strongly encouraging the parents
of incoming first and second graders to apply quickly since there are still some seats available in
those grades. "It is very encouraging to see that enrollment is proceeding faster than we
expected. But the greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the excitement and sincere
appreciation of other parents  who know the value of an IB education and language immersion
and finally can choose for their children a standard of education that our districts currently do not
provide," said Block. 

According to the PIACS web site, there are 26 seats remaining in first grade and 29 remaining
seats in the second grade.

South Brunswick resident Dean Murray, the parent of an incoming second grader said, “This is a
fantastic opportunity for my child.  We have no Chinese heritage in our family and the
opportunity for my child to learn a second language the right way just makes me feel inspired as
a parent. I am very excited to get involved with this school and support my child in his learning
every step of the way.” 

Dr. Rajan Ravikumar, a resident of West Windsor and a parent of an incoming Kindergarten
student said, "My wife and I are excited to give our child the opportunity to speak Chinese and
are impressed by the IB curriculum. This curriculum emphasizes developing well-rounded
children with high emotional IQs and a sense of belonging to an international community. This
school provides an option that was not previously available to us in the WW-P district." 

The current application period for enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year starts March 20th
and ends April 17th. Applications and additional information regarding PIACS can be found
online at www.piacs.org.

The school’s founders also named the first five appointees of their board of trustees. They
are: Dr. Bonnie Liao, the lead founder of the PIACS; Norma Jean Byers, Assistant Head of
School of the Princeton Charter School (PCS); Dr. Jingzi Ginny Huang, Associate Professor and
Chair of Curriculum and Instruction at Monmouth University; Helena May, a Princeton-based
business leader and entrepreneur; and Veronica Olivares-Weber, a Princeton-based  community
organizer.
 
Liao, the interim board chair said, “These trustees have brought with them a wide-range of
experiences and in different ways they have demonstrated a passion for PIACS’ mission and,
most importantly, an ability to get things done. As a team, they cover key expertise, which
includes accounting and finance, public school policies and operations, curricula and
assessment, operational business execution, community outreach and philanthropy and
foundations.” 
  
Byers, who teaches mathematics and works on instructional administration at PCS, is excited
about PIACS and said, “Through the IB curriculum framework and language
immersion, the Princeton International Academy Charter School brings together two compelling 
and  proven instructional methodologies which no other public schools in our districts offer.
I look forward to leading this ground-breaking new school to become one of New Jersey's
top charter schools, just as PCS has become." 

Board of trustee member May said, “I’m thrilled to be a part of such an exciting and diverse
group of individuals who share my sense of urgency to create an innovative and stimulating
public school that will offer a highly challenging and enriching educational experience for the
children of our community.  I believe in the mission and vision of PIACS and will help to
establish a school that educates and prepares our children in the community to succeed as future
global leaders and participants.” 

The board, which may eventually consist of nine members, met for the first time on March 18th
at the Ann Reeves Studio at the Art Council of Princeton. The first order of business included
approving the appointment of Ms. Deborah Wei as Head of School and Ms. Diane Potorski as
the School Business Administrator.  
  
Wei is an educator with more than twenty-five years experience, the last five of which as the
founding principal of The Folk Arts - Cultural Treasures (FACTS) Charter School in
Philadelphia. Wei has published two children’s books, and a high school textbook titled
Resistance in Paradise which was the winner of the 1999 Meyers Award for Outstanding
Contribution to American History. She is the recipient of several awards including A Bannerman
Fellowship for Activists of Color, The Waters Award for Intergenerational Activism from Bread
and Roses Community Foundation.
 
Wei said of her appointment “the combination of dual language immersion and the international
baccalaureate framework offer a rigorous, innovative and inspirational approach to education and
I  am honored and excited to be an integral part of PIACS. The school’s commitment to
bilingualism, to the preparation of young people with 21st century skills, to valuing education
that goes beyond the traditional classroom walls, and to social justice and participatory
democracy,  all speak to my own beliefs in how schools can create meaningful educational
experiences for young people. In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to developing the
curriculum and building the staff who will realize the vision of the founders to better prepare
students for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st Century.”