List of Princeton High School Alumni explained

This list of alumni of Princeton High School in New Jersey includes graduates and non-graduate former students.

• George Barna (born 1955), author^[1]
• Chris Barron (born Christopher Barron Gross), lead singer of the Spin Doctors^[2]
• Laurie Berkner (born 1969), children's musical artist^[3]
• Richard E. Besser (born 1959, class of 1977), ABC News medical editor^[4]
• Todd Blackledge (born 1961), quarterback who played in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers^[5]
• The members of the band Blues Traveler^[6]
• Lesley Bush (born 1947), two-time U.S. Olympic diver who won a gold medal in platform diving at the 1964 Summer Olympics^[7]
• Sim Cain (born 1963), drummer for the Rollins Band
• Michelle Charlesworth (born 1970), news anchor WABC New York^[8]
• Damien Chazelle (born 1985), Academy Award-winning screenwriter and film director^[9]
• Richard J. Coffee (1925–2017), politician who served in the New Jersey Senate and as chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee^[10]
• Rhys Coiro (born 1979), actor^[11]
• Mervin Field (1921–2015), public opinion pollster whose career in polling began with a poll of PHS students in a class election^[12]
• Evan Gershkovich (born 1991, class of 2010), journalist for The Wall Street Journal who was detained by Russia as a spy^[13]
• Ariela Gross (born 1965, class of 1983), historian who is the John B. and Alice R. Sharp Professor of Law and History at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law^[14]
• Chris Harford, self-taught singer, songwriter, guitarist and painter^[15]
• Brendan Hill (born 1970), drummer^[16]
• Brett Hoebel (born, class of 1999), personal trainer best known for appearing as a trainer on the U.S. reality television show in 2011^[17]
• Christine Moore Howell (1899–1972), hair care product businesswoman who was the first African-American to graduate from Princeton High School^[18]
• Arielle Jacobs (born 1988), Broadway actor^[19]
• Ben Jelen (born 1979), singer-songwriter^[20]
• Michael Lemonick, former senior science writer at Time magazine^{[21] [22]}
• John Lithgow (born 1945), actor^[23]
• Tom Malinowski (born 1965, class of 1983), Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor from 2014 to 2017 and congressman from New Jersey's 7th congressional district from 2019 to 2023^[24]
• Ann M. Martin (born 1955, class of 1973), author, best known for her The Baby-Sitters Club series of books^[25]
• Brad Mays (born 1955, class of 1973), filmmaker^[26]
• John McPhee (born 1931), The New Yorker staff writer, author and Pulitzer Prize-winner^[27]
• Ben Navarro (born 1962/1963), billionaire businessman^[28]
• Bebe Neuwirth (born 1958, class of 1976), actress^[29]
• John Popper (born 1967), musician^[30]
• Andy Potts (born 1976, class of 1995), triathlete who represented the United States in triathlon at the 2004 Summer Olympics^[31]
• Dan Schulman (born 1958, class of 1976), business executive; President of PayPal^[32]
• Tsutomu Shimomura (born 1964), Japanese-American scientist and computer security expert^[33]
• Michael Showalter (born 1970, class of 1988), comedian, writer, and film director^[34]
• Joe Steinhardt (born 1984, class of 2002), record producer, author, and musician^[35]
• Robert Stone (born 1958, class of 1976), director and documentary filmmaker^[36]
• Ben Taub (born 1991), The New Yorker staff writer and Pulitzer Prize-winner^[37]
• Saskia Webber (born 1971), soccer goalkeeper who played for the United States women's national soccer team as well as the New York Power and Philadelphia Charge in the Women's United Soccer Association^[38]
• Ilana B. Witten, neuroscientist and associate professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton University^[39]

References

1. Staff. "Barna-Nelson", Town Topics, November 22, 1978. Accessed August 5, 2014. "The couple are both graduates of Princeton High School and Boston College."
2. Staff. "Chris Barron: Spin Doctor helps old high school", Wilmington Morning Star, March 14, 1995. Accessed December 10, 2018. "Chris Barron, lead singer of the Spin Doctors, gave a pocketful of cash to his old high school. Mr. Barron returned to Princeton High School on Sunday for a benefit concert to help the New Jersey school choir raise money for its trip to England and France next month."
3. Staff. "N.J. natives John Lithgow, Laurie Berkner to play McCarter Theatre", NewJerseyNewsRoom.com, March 26, 2010, backed up by the Internet Archive as of August 10, 2014. Accessed December 10, 2018. "Making her first McCarter appearance on Saturday, April 17 for two performances at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. will be Princeton native (and Princeton High School alum) Laurie Berkner, the 'Pied Piper of Pre-Schoolers.'"
4. Gilbert, Ellen. "Gold Key Recipients Hear Richard Besser Talk About Meeting Life's Challenges", Town Topics, June 8, 2011. Accessed December 10, 2018. "ABC News Chief Health and Medical Director Richard Besser, who graduated from Princeton High School (PHS) in 1977, returned last week to deliver the keynote address at the Gold Key Award Ceremony."
5. Wilheim, John. "Penn State title stirs memories of prep quarterback", Battle Creek EnquirerJanuary 4, 1983. Accessed October 2, 2017. "Princeton also is in Mercer County, and that fall Princeton had a new offensive coordinator for its football team by the name of Ron Blackledge. Blackledge's family moved to Princeton with him, including his son, Todd, who enrolled as a sophomore at Princeton High School and tried out for the football team as a quarterback."
6. Takiff, Jonathan. "Big Fat Close-up", Philadelphia Daily News, September 17, 1999. Accessed July 24, 2011. "Is there something in the water in Princeton, N.J., that makes you strive to become a jam band rock musician? Blues Traveler came out of Princeton High School (class of '86), along with the lead singer of Spin Doctors."
7. Staff. "Olympian Lesley Bush shares gold at library", Princeton Public Library, August 2, 2012. Accessed August 5, 2014. "A Princeton High School student in 1964, Bush was honored with a town parade upon her return from the Olympics."
8. Chang, Kathy. "Students learn the ABCs of how to be a journalist", Edison / Metuchen Sentinel, March 28, 2012. Accessed August 5, 2014. "During her high school days, Charlesworth said her family moved to New Jersey and she attended Princeton High School."
9. Heyman, Marshall. "N.Y. Film Fest 'the Holy Grail' for Whiplash Director", The Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2014. Accessed October 2, 2017. "Whiplash ... is based on Mr. Chazelle's experiences at Princeton High School, which had a particularly competitive and nationally renowned jazz band."
10. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/144916896/ "Mercer's Coffee Eyes State House"
11. Fowler, Linda. "A conversation with Rhys Coiro", NJ.com, October 16, 2008. Accessed August 5, 2014. "In a recent interview, Coiro talked about his family, career, and his childhood on the move: He lived in Washington, D.C., Brooklyn and upstate New York before settling in Princeton at the age of 9.... Acting in high school was just something I seemed to be good at."
12. Rogers, Paul. "Field Poll shutting down at end of year", Santa Cruz Sentinel, December 9, 2016. Accessed October 2, 2017. "His first encounter with polling was a chance meeting with George Gallup, founder of the Gallup Poll. Intrigued, Field took a survey of fellow students at his school, Princeton High School, in the late 1930s about their preference for class president. Field eventually worked for the Gallup Poll in Princeton, New Jersey."
13. Gilpin, Donald. "Wall Street Journal Reporter, a 2010 PHS Grad, is Arrested in Russia, Accused of Espionage", Town Topics, March 31, 2023. Accessed March 31, 2023. "Evan Gershkovich, a 31-year-old reporter for the Wall Street Journal and a 2010 graduate of Princeton High School (PHS), was arrested in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on Wednesday and was accused, without evidence, by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) of spying for the U.S. government."
14. Ben-Itzak, Paul. "'Freeze Girl' Backed On Views", The New York Times, July 17, 1983. Accessed June 10, 2020. "The impression was confirmed on June 16, when Miss Gross, at a ceremony for Presidential Scholars on the White House lawn, presented President Reagan with a petition calling for a nuclear freeze by the United States and the Soviet Union. Miss Gross, who is now 17, began circulating the petition to her 140 fellow Presidential Scholars in May.... (Miss Gross, who graduated from Princeton High School last month, will enter Harvard in the fall.)"
15. http://donyc.com/events/2017/7/6/delicate-steve-band-of-changes-chris-harford-scott-metzger-jon-shaw-and-joe-russo-breanna-barbara "Delicate Steve, Band of Changes, Chris Harford, Scott Metzger, Jon Shaw and Joe Russo, Breanna Barbara"
16. Oksenhorn, Stewart. "Traveler's new groove", Aspen Times, July 1, 2005. Accessed August 24, 2012. "Blues Traveler was formed in 1983 by four friends from Princeton High School: drummer Brendan Hill, guitarist Chandler 'Chan' Kinchla, bassist Bobby Sheehan and a character of a young man, John Popper, whose eccentricities ran from his bomber hat to his choice of instrument, the undersung harmonica."
17. Angermiller, Michelle. "Biggest Loser adds professional trainer from Princeton", The Times, January 28, 2011. Accessed October 2, 2017. "His mother gave him all kinds of great advice, and by his sophomore year at Princeton High School, Hoebel dropped 50 pounds and excelled in three varsity sports: football, wrestling and lacrosse.... Hoebel, the son of retiring Princeton University psychology professor Bart Hoebel, graduated Princeton High School in 1989, with a goal of following in his father's footsteps."
18. Smith, Jessie Carney. Encyclopedia of African American Business, Volume 1, p. 388. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. . Accessed October 2, 2017. "Howell was the first African American to graduate from Princeton High School."
19. Hunt, Mary Ellen. "Arielle Jacobs stars in 'High School Musical'", San Francisco Chronicle, April 13, 2008. Accessed August 5, 2014. "A native of Half Moon Bay, Jacobs was 14 when she moved with her family from California to Princeton, N.J., just as she was to start high school, so she knows what it's like to be the new girl in town."
20. Moser, John J. "A wake-up call to green action form Ben Jelen ** With a new CD and foundation, rocker brings eco-friendly message to Allentown", The Morning Call, April 19, 2008. Accessed August 24, 2012. "Born in Scotland of Czech descent, Jelen was raised in London and Texas before settling in New Jersey at 15, where he graduated from Princeton High School (starting ground for Blues Traveler and Spin Doctors)."
21. Lemonick, Michael D. The Perpetual Now: A Story of Amnesia, Memory, and Love, p. 8. Knopf Doubleday. . Accessed October 7, 2018.
22. Strauss, Elaine. "Michael Lemonick’s Search for Other Worlds", U.S. 1 newspaper, May 6, 1998. Accessed December 10, 2018. "Lemonick’s strong second interest has been music. He played trumpet while he was at Princeton High School."
23. LaGorce, Tammy. "John Lithgow Sings of the Sewer, and Other Funny Stuff", The New York Times, November 11, 2007. Accessed December 10, 2018. "The visit will allow Mr. Lithgow, a Princeton High School graduate, to catch up with a few school friends still in the area, he said, and to relive 'loads of fond memories' of the 1960s, when his father, Arthur Lithgow, ran the McCarter Theater downtown."
24. Bewig, Matt. "Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor: Who Is Tom Malinowski?", AllGov.com, July 21, 2013. Accessed October 2, 2017. "Born in 1965 in Poland, Tomasz P. Malinowski left Europe at the age of six with his mother, Joanna, who married American Blair Clark and raised Tom in Princeton, New Jersey. Admittedly 'not the world's greatest student,' Malinowski graduated Princeton High School in 1983, where he wrote for the school newspaper and was an intern in the office of Sen. Bill Bradley (D-New Jersey)."
25. Arntzenius, Linda. "Ann M. Martin Comes Home to Princeton; Library Discussion, Book-Signing Tonight", Town Topics, May 2, 2007. Accessed December 10, 2018. "After attending Princeton High School, Ms. Martin graduated from Smith College and then trained as a teacher."
26. Persico, Joyce C. "Documentary explores life in Princeton during the late 1960s, early 1970s", The Times, October 6, 2013. Accessed December 10, 2018. "Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can't Go Home Again, but independent filmmaker and theater director Brad Mays is certainly going to try with I Grew Up in Princeton, a documentary he hopes will rattle a few cages and open some eyes when it has its world premiere in Princeton on Oct. 18.... Once he was bused to Princeton High School, which at the time accepted students from West Windsor, life changed for Mays, who fell in with an 'artsy' group and 'fit right in.'"
27. Handelman, Louise. "Stories of the former world: John McPhee bridges worlds of science and humanities", Princeton Packet, April 6, 1999. Accessed September 16, 2007. "After graduating from Princeton High School, he did a post-graduate year at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts before matriculating to Princeton University."
28. http://www.wbtv.com/story/37740486/billionaires-row-a-deep-look-at-the-potential-bidders-for-the-carolina-panthers/ "Billionaire’s row: A deep look at the potential bidders for the Carolina Panthers"
29. http://www.cincinnatisymphony.org/Musicians/GuestArtists/Neuwirth.asp Guest Artists: Bebe Neuwirth
30. Book: The Ultimate New Jersey High School Year Book.
31. Alden, Bill. "PHS Alum Potts Finds Direction In Triathlon; Now Aims to Soar at Athens Summer Games", Town Topics, July 21, 2004. Accessed August 5, 2014. "After completing a stellar swimming career at the University of Michigan, Andy Potts found himself drifting. Working as a sales representative for a payroll company in Chicago in 2002, the Princeton High alum lacked clear direction for the first time in his life.... After graduating from PHS in 1995, Potts went to the University of Michigan where he quickly established himself as one of the top swimmers in the Big 10."
32. Staff. "Daniel H. Schulman, Virgin Mobile USA CEO, Inducted to Rutgers Board of Governors", Rutgers Today, July 9, 2009. Accessed October 12, 2014. "Born and raised in Newark, Schulman later attended Princeton High School."
33. http://people.engr.ncsu.edu/efg/379/s01/lectures/wk10/lecture.html Week 10: "Hacking"
34. Staff. "Ask Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter", The Washington Post, January 25, 2008. Accessed July 24, 2011. "Q. I go to Princeton High School. Have you seen the additions? It's pretty weird. Did you like going here? I bet we had some of the same teachers. Michael Showalter: Go Lil Tigers!"
35. Web site: Biese . Alex . New Alternative Music Festival hits Asbury Park . 2024-07-01 . Asbury Park Press . en-US.
36. Mroz, Jacqueline. "Sundance Honor for Film of Early Save-the-Earth Activists", The New York Times, February 13, 2009. Accessed December 10, 2018. "When he was just 11 years old and living in Princeton, Robert Stone borrowed his parents’ Super 8 camera and made his first film, about the pollution he saw around him.... After attending Princeton High School, Mr. Stone studied history in college."
37. Web site: Ben Taub of The New Yorker . May 6, 2020 . Pulitzer.org.
38. Staff. "Sports Wire: Soccer", Asbury Park Press, March 8, 1990. Accessed October 2, 2017. "Saskia Webber, the freshman goalie on the Rutgers University women's soccer team, has been selected as a member of the U.S. Junior National team. Webber, a first team All-State selection from Princeton High School, posted four shutouts and had an 85 percent save percentage."
39. Zandonella, Catherine. "Illuminating the brain: Neuroscientist Ilana Witten", Princeton University, March 15, 2018. Accessed April 26, 2020. "For Witten, coming to Princeton was a return to her hometown. She graduated from Princeton High School and earned her bachelor’s degree at Princeton, where her parents are faculty members."