Each year, students have the chance to show their creative passion through Princeton Day School’s very own art and literary journal, cymbals. Operating since the creation of PDS in 1965, cymbals accepts art and creative writing submissions from the Upper School, hand-picking ones that pair well together and then publishing a physical magazine that features the collection. 

A platform where students can express themselves through poetry, prose, visual art, and other media, curating cymbals each year is a lengthy process.  The curation is a multi-month long process where artists carefully explore ideas, refine their mediums, and later, pair their piece with other works for a richer experience. They have come a long way, cymbals Faculty Advisor and Upper School English teacher Mr. Jamie McCulloch shared, “I have some old prints in my office … they were very different and smaller.” As cymbals grew, they began to submit their publications and work to the American Scholastic Press Associations, an annual award ceremony held for literary and artistic journals. Mr. McCulloch recalled, “Someone said to me, ‘Oh, this is such a great magazine, you should send it out to the contest to honor the work done,’ and we were winning awards every year.” 

Since then, cymbals has been moving forward and has published some amazing pieces, with this year’s journal currently undergoing its final edits. The theme for 2025, Speed Limit 25, attempts to inspire artists creatively, but the annual themes are not restrictive. Junior Anya Gruteser, one of the Editors-In-Chief for cymbals, elaborated, “The content really doesn’t have to adhere to that at all [to the theme]; we are really just trying to hear the students’ voices through their art. It’s a very intimate thing for them, so we like to showcase their skill and talent.” Throughout its years, cymbals has not just been a journal, but a reflection of the artists of PDS, whose skill and talent shapes the school community. Whether it’s a first-time artist or an experienced one, each leaves their mark on PDS’s culture. As the 2025 edition takes its form, cymbals carry its legacy of honoring student expression one edition at a time.