It has come to our attention that Dr. Carol Kelley, Superintendent of Princeton Public Schools has recommended the termination of Mr. Chmiel's contract as Principal of Princeton High School. We urge you to sign in support of Mr. Chmiel's contract renewal. 

We are writing in support of Principal Chmiel and to thank him for making us feel welcome in our school environment. As seniors, we have gone through three principals, and not one has made us feel like a respected part of the PHS community like Principal Chmiel has. He has been tremendously supportive of all issues presented to him both in confidence and in our student advisory meetings. Any matters from gender equality to race/cultural equity were given equal consideration. He has used his status as a way to bridge the gap between minority students and administrators.

As a principal, he helped develop the first-ever school-wide Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, including students of all Latinx backgrounds and ESL students in the planning process. He allowed the students to take the lead and utilize parts of their heritage as a stepping stone to provide the PHS community with a taste of Latinx culture while still heavily participating in each planning meeting. He even involved other school leaders to support the Hispanic Heritage Committee in making our vision a reality. For the first time, PHS even had a Día de Los Muertos altar installed in the Numina gallery along with cultural arts brought in by students and staff. 

Mr. Chmiel promoted Black 365 initiatives and organized meetings for planning the Black History Month gospel assembly, which again was the first school-wide Black History celebration. He supported the sale of Black 365 t-shirts which raised enough money to offer graduating seniors college scholarships. After successfully executing our plans for Black History Month, Mr. Chmiel asked his friend to cater a soul food lunch for students and staff of the Black History Month committee. He even covered the extra costs of the (delicious) food out of pocket so all students and faculty on the committee could be included. 

This past week, PHS hosted our first Day of Dialogue, which was an amazing opportunity for all students to learn about diverse cultures.

Along with the countless initiatives he has supported us with, Mr. Chmiel introduced the National Equity Project youth symposium in late August of 2021 to students of various backgrounds. He registered those who were interested and established the NEP-BELE Network in our district. The symposium was a way to build a foundation for youth from all districts across the nation to learn about the history of liberation struggle within educational institutions. Students were able to explore their activist identity as well as develop a list of demands and strategies that were utilized to fight for equity in our district. The demands created in August helped jumpstart the changes that have been implemented in the school this year, being that they were presented to a multitude of administrators by the students. It is evident that Principal Chmiel cares deeply about the student body as he worked to create an environment to enable equitable change even before he started his role in September. 

Mr. Chmiel is a "yes man", any idea we have big or small he encourages and supports us in making it happen! After years of having unproductive conversations about the issues we were facing as students of color with previous principals, we finally feel like we have a principal who is empathetic and proactive. 

We speak for all students when we say we appreciate his warm nature. His daily Chmiel Spiels that highlight student and faculty accomplishments and update us on school announcements remind us that Mr. Chmiel cares. Something as simple as knowing or asking our names in the hallways reminds us that Mr. Chmiel cares. Being greeted by a hello and a smile each day reminds us that Mr. Chmiel cares. 

We hope he remains Principal of PHS for years to come to allow all students to experience the inclusivity we have felt this year.

Thank you,

Kyara Torres-Olivares, Princeton High School Senior 

Joycelyn Brobbey, Princeton High School Senior