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This summer, students entering Grades 7, 8, and 9 are invited to be a part of the Senior Scholars Program at Moorestown Friends School. The Senior Scholars Program is designed to give students, both from MFS and other area schools, the opportunity to engage in a fun, creative, and academically rich experience during the summers leading up to high school.

For students interested in the performing arts, Senior Scholars opportunities include Singer-Songwriter Workshop and Musical Theatre Audition Preparation Workshop. Both are taught by Martha Howard, a professional voice coach who has worked with performers for over 25 years. She has a B.A. in Music from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is obtaining her M.A. in Music Education from the University of Florida. Students in Musical Theatre will spend one week preparing with Martha for an audition, culminating in a performance for family and friends. Singer-Songwriters will spend three weeks songwriting, recording, and producing a music video.

In collaboration with the Singer-Songwriter Workshop, students enrolled in the Video and Audio Production Workshop will spend three weeks with MFS Arts Department Chair Brian Howard, producing a music video using Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and iMovie 11. Other technology-based programs include the popular Filmmakers Workshop, also taught by Brian Howard, and Computer Programming and Digital Art, taught by MFS AP Computer Science Teacher Gail Barna.

For students with a passion for writing, publishing, or photography, Senior Scholars offers Journalism and Publishing: Making an Online Magazine with English Teacher Andrea Martin. Another creative arts program, Exploring Three-Dimensional Art, invites young artists to spend a week building a 3D art portfolio with MFS Ceramics Teacher David Gamber, who is also a Teaching Artist at Perkins Center for the Arts and holds an M.F.A. in Ceramics from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art.

Two other programs offer preparation and practice for popular high school competitions: Mock Trial and Robotics. Under the direction of MFS History Teacher Clark Thomson, Mock Trial scholars will have the opportunity to learn about the legal system and participate in a comprehensive mock trial simulation. Similarly, the Science, Robotics, and Engineering program provides students with significant experience competing on a high school level team. Led by MFS Physics Teacher and Robotics Coach Tim Clarke, scholars will compete in events such as 3D printing, building underwater robots, and bridge construction.

All Senior Scholars programs offer small class sizes and air-conditioned spaces on the MFS campus, with teachers who are highly qualified and have graduated from top-tier American colleges and universities. Students will receive a recommendation letter from their program teacher that can be sent to the middle school or high school of their choice.

For more information about these and other programs, please visit summer.mfriends.org.