Cecilia Birge appointed Princeton High principal

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
Cecilia Birge appointed Princeton High principal

Cecilia Xie Birge speaks at a Princeton Board of Education special meeting after her appointment as principal of Princeton High School on Aug. 31. PRINCETON PUBLIC SCHOOLS/Video

Sept. 10 (ZFJ) — Cecilia Xie Birge was appointed principal of Princeton High School on Thursday, Aug. 31.

The Princeton Board of Education voted unanimously for her at a special meeting. Board member Michele Tuck-Ponder was not present.

“With Cecilia’s appointment tonight, we are turning a page and we are looking with excitement to the future,” said Dafna Kendal, president of the school board.

Birge thanked the board and search committee for entrusting her with the position and recognized the school staff’s work for Princeton High.

“In the forthcoming weeks, I intend to actively engage with our educators, our students, and community stakeholders, valuing their insights, learning from them and learning with them,” she said. “It’s my hope that together we will build upon our existing achievements and create an inclusive environment where every student feels a sense of belonging at PHS.”

Superintendent Dr. Carol Kelley addressed Birge while recommending her for the position to the board.

“Your communication abilities, educational expertise, and commitment to the overall achievement make you, I believe, the ideal candidate for this very essential and important role,” Kelley explained.

Birge has been assistant principal of Princeton High since 2020 and was a mathematics and special education teacher there since 2015. At the school, she has worked as assistant coach of the girls’ volleyball team and head coach of the speech and debate team.

She holds a master’s in education from Columbia University and bachelor’s in history from Bryn Mawr College. She is working toward a doctorate in education from Rutgers.

Birge grew up in Beijing, China. She spent her early childhood in labor camps during the Cultural Revolution with her Western-educated parents, who were detained by the Chinese Communist Party. She later participated in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.

She then immigrated to America, studied, and briefly worked as a Wall Street bond analyst. She also served as mayor of Montgomery Township, becoming the first female Asian American mayor elected in N.J.

A resident of Princeton’s Jackson-Witherspoon Historic District, she is a leader in the Chinese American community and, since 2013, has also been a trustee of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

Crystal Riddick of the Princeton Administrators’ Association; Renee Szporn, co-president of the Princeton Regional Education Association (teachers’ union); and Antoinette Hopkins, co-president of the Princeton Regional Educational Support Staff Association expressed their faith in Birge’s leadership.

“As someone who has worked with Cecilia as a teacher and an assistant principal, I know she has what it takes to get the job done,” said Szporn.

School board members Betsy Baglio, Jean Durbin, and Rob Christopher also expressed their congratulations to Birge.

Princeton Public Schools received 25 candidates—two internal and 23 external—according to Rebecca Gold, interim assistant superintendent for human resources.

Three rounds of interviews—a paper screen, short virtual screening, and interview by committee—were held for candidates. The two internal candidates went directly to the third round.

The committee interviewed five candidates for one hour each, asking about their vision for their first hundred days at Princeton High. The committee also asked questions based on a community survey and national standards for leaders, focusing on values like trustworthiness, accountability, collaboration, and communication. Afterwards, the committee rated every question for each candidate and made a recommendation to the superintendent.

The committee consisted of two principals, three supervisors, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, the director of student services, two teachers, the high school senior bookkeeper, and three parents. Two board members and the superintendent observed the proceedings.

Birge’s salary is set to $165,000 for the 2023-2024 school year.

Birge succeeds Frank Chmiel, who was abruptly removed as principal on March 17 after serving since 2021, prompting protests by students and parents. At a Donaldson hearing, Superintendent Kelley explained her reasons for not recommending him again, and the school board declined to renew his contract.

Since then, Dr. Kathleen Foster has been interim principal.

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