Admissions Viewbook

M FS

1785

Moorestown Friends School

Moorestown Friends School is a community dedicated to the pursuit of educational excellence for a diverse student body, within an academically rigorous and balanced program emphasizing personal, ethical and spiritual growth.

Moorestown Friends School Mission Statement

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

Founded in

1785 For over 200 years, Moorestown Friends School has offered exceptional education: Small classes, academic rigor and quality teachers encourage children to achieve their potential in a caring environment. This individual attention grows out of a Quaker value, respect for the individual, which is at the heart of our enduring spiritual and ethical education.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

“It’s a tribute to their timelessness that the principles that have guided the school for so many years remain absolutely central today.”

Laurence R. Van Meter, Class of ’68, Head of School

At Moorestown Friends School, more than two centuries of academic excellence combine with Quaker values to create an empowering learning environment. Quakerism’s core belief, that the “light of God” exists in every individual, translates into a deeply respectful and warm school community. We believe that God’s truth is continuously revealed – which leads to an emphasis on critical thinking skills and developmental learning.

Moorestown Friends School, like other Friends schools, views ethical development as the foundation of our curriculum.

Time-honored values, such as community, integrity, equality, harmony, simplicity and, most notably, peace, form our Quaker ethos – there is no formal or rigid doctrine. We welcome students of all faiths; only a minority of our student body is Quaker.

While many schools are transactional, Moorestown Friends School is transformational: We help children develop into better people. Starting in preschool, students learn life skills, from listening, fair play and cooperation to critical thinking, conflict management and decision-making by consensus. With this training, our students grow into adaptive, intelligent and open-minded adults.

And that is likely the reason our graduates include pioneers such as a leader in the women’s suffrage movement and a Nobel Prize Laureate in physics. Virtually all of our graduates go to college. We produce ethical and resilient young people with strong critical thinking skills. Graduates especially remember the Quaker Meeting for Worship in the Meeting House. Here the school community gathers weekly for a period of silence.

Here students – of all faiths – learn how quiet leads to clarity.

And possibly, here they shape big dreams – of what they can contribute creatively to their world.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

When he entered prekindergarten at Moorestown Friends School in 1954, Laurence R. (Larry) Van Meter never imagined he would return one day as Head of School. As a graduate, Larry appreciates the Quaker focus on spiritual growth, critical thinking and community service. “We teach young people to be true to their values in whatever form or shape they may take,” he says.

Just as when Larry was a student, the school’s small classes, traditional academics and superb faculty continue to provide an outstanding education. This blend of academic rigor and spiritual development leads to children Larry calls “intellectually motivated, emotionally secure and physically healthy.”

He also sees enormous value in the weekly Meeting for Worship, even for the school’s youngest students. “In our fast, over-programmed world,” he says, “Meeting for Worship provides a rare time to slow down and teaches us to rely upon the Spirit to guide us.” For Larry, Moorestown Friends School is “a happy confluence of bright and creative people,” an experience he has found to be incredibly rewarding – whether as a student or Head of School.

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

42

Acre Campus

Enter the Moorestown Friends School campus and there is a decidedly tranquil feel: the intangible quality of a caring community. More than a school, it is the presence of people who consciously connect with one another, their community and the world.

From the Meeting House at the center of campus, our Quaker values circle outward.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

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Moorestown Friends School

Moorestown Friends School has a presence beyond its traditional brick buildings: the strong sense of community. And that community extends beyond our campus. We’re committed to service projects such as yearly food drives, service fairs and coat collection campaigns. These projects teach students that compassion requires action. They also increase student awareness of socio-economic differences throughout our region and the world. When our students discover that they can have an impact on the greater community, they connect with the personal rewards of social responsibility. Upper School students, who must complete 50 hours of service, typically volunteer to perform many more.

Respect for others means we embrace the diversity of individuals. For 35 years, our Camden Scholars program has enriched our community with an impressive breadth of students who might not have otherwise attended the school. Today, over one-fourth of our students are non-white. Our Director of Multicultural Affairs leads regular faculty seminars on issues related to class, gender, race and sexual orientation. Students also promote greater understanding through groups such as

Preschool through Grade 12

the Martin Luther King, Jr. Club, the Jewish Culture Club and the Gay-Straight Alliance; and our curriculum consistently addresses tolerance and inclusion.

We provide our students with the best possible facilities: A Field House complex features gyms, five tennis courts and a fitness and weight training center. A five-kilometer crosscountry course is also located on campus. The renovated Arts Center includes an updated theater, wood shop, art studio, photography lab and a music computing center with 18 MIDI workstations. The Diller Library is equipped with 16 computers for student research. Our library also houses two computer labs containing 20 computers each. However, within this technological environment, the “heart” of our campus is still the 1802 Moorestown Monthly Meeting House, where we come together to reflect on Quaker values that have sustained our community for over 200 years.

“At Moorestown Friends School, learning doesn’t stop once students leave the classroom.”

Parker Curtis, Middle and Upper School Social Studies Teacher, Coach

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Moorestown, New Jersey

Coaches are thoughtful guides who teach the importance of playing well. Parker Curtis fulfills that role. A Middle and Upper School social studies teacher, he coaches junior varsity baseball and Middle School basketball. As a teacher and a coach Parker gets to know MFS students from varied perspectives.

“Students learn a different side of you when you’re in a sports environment,” he says. “There are so many teaching moments, too.” Upon arriving at MFS, Parker immediately felt the Quaker ethos present in the athletic program. “The kids at MFS learn how to play sports the right way and that’s a direct reflection of the school’s mission,” he says. “In addition to the sportspecific coaching and instruction, there is a heavy emphasis on sportsmanship.”

More than once he has received compliments from opposing teams. “It’s great getting a compliment from an opposing coach or athletic director telling you how well your athletes conducted themselves,” he says. “Our students are very good at applying what they learn, whether it’s in the classroom or on the playing fields.”

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

90

Faculty Members

Moorestown Friends School faculty members never stop learning and growing: They speak at professional conferences, publish academic papers and help one another create classroom projects. Our teachers know this school as a place where they can develop professionally and, at the same time, enhance students’ educational experiences.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

“There’s such camaraderie among teachers here. We love the small classes and students who are caring, inquisitive and motivated to achieve.”

Val Franz, Spanish/French Teacher

Our faculty members are broadly educated, knowledgeable teachers, advisors and coaches who have a superb rapport with students. Students respond to faculty with trust and admiration. What makes our teachers unusual? They are guides, not adversaries, who understand that the quality of classroom discourse is as important as the knowledge gained. They are a mix of different ages and teaching styles. What they have in common is a dedication to helping students embrace their own intellectual potential.

First and foremost, our teachers are accessible to students.

In the Middle School, each student meets with an advisor daily and, in the Upper School, students meet biweekly with their advisor. Small classes, individual focus and the caring Quaker environment mean that a network of concerned and involved adults truly knows each child. A constant presence, teachers also work on community service projects, on committees that deal with school topics such as events and facilities, and as athletic coaches and club sponsors.

Genuine enthusiasm for their area of expertise further characterizes Moorestown Friends faculty. To give a topic depth, teachers go out of their way to arrange class trips to places such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Constitution Center or New York Stock Exchange. A summer sabbatical program encourages faculty to engage in creative and challenging travel: One Art teacher toured Impressionist studios in France which enabled him to share his real-life discoveries in the fall. As a result, students heard a firsthand account of places such as Monet’s garden and the Bateau-Lavoir in Paris where Picasso painted. This constant exchange of experience and insight gives our faculty an unusual degree of vitality. The low turnover rate tells us that teaching at Moorestown Friends School is rewarding for both teachers and students.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

Having also taught in public schools, Val Franz sees a huge difference in private education. “Small classes allow us to cover our curriculum and encourage oral participation,” the Spanish/French teacher says. “At Moorestown Friends School, I find students are cooperative and inquisitive, the parental support is phenomenal, and teachers are truly accessible.”

Val, like every teacher, volunteers on school committees and participates in school food drives and community service projects. Val particularly enjoys the Service Fair, in which each Middle School homeroom sets up its own booth and the money collected goes to a charity selected by students. “There’s always some exciting event happening at school,” she says.

Val keeps language learning hands-on and fun with iPods, oral presentations, interactive DVDs and games. She loves that foreign language is a major subject at the school: Fifth graders take a year of Latin, sixth graders take a unit each of French, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese, and seventh graders then choose a language that they will pursue through high school.

“I believe anyone can learn another language,” Val says. “I like to tell my students, ‘You’ve learned one all ready, right?’”

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

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Students per Class

Small classes create a dynamic educational experience. In this informal atmosphere, faculty members are able to “teach to� each student within a class. Trust develops and the adventure begins: Teachers and students learn spontaneously from one another, examining and inquiring into the full richness and complexity of a subject or idea.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

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Moorestown Friends School

The Lower School’s strong academics are based on experiential learning: We know that children learn best through what they experience. That’s why learning in the Lower School feels more like discovery – developmentally appropriate activities challenge children to stretch themselves, leading to natural achievement – whether it’s writing a book in kindergarten, playing violin in second grade or exploring algebra in fourth grade.

Hands-on learning and frequent field trips enrich a creative curriculum featuring language arts, mathematics and science as well as physical education, library and computer skills.

Art and music teach students to appreciate the process of producing creative work and sharing it with others.

Our nurturing environment encourages children to take risks.

Caring and enthusiastic teachers listen to, affirm and encourage each child as a daily demonstration of respect for the individual, a key Quaker value. Inspired by the Quaker belief that a divine spark exists in everyone, our teachers are committed to helping each child find and express his or her unique voice.

They help children identify, develop and embrace their gifts.

Lower School

Preschool through Grade 4

Social and spiritual growth starts early in a Friends education: Our three-year-olds play alongside a Quaker Education coordinator who models fair play. Each year thereafter, a Quaker Education component teaches diversity and tolerance, conflict management and respect for the individual. In fourth grade, students receive training in peer mediation. Peer mediators possess a useful life skill and are available to help classmates achieve peaceful resolution of playground or classroom conflicts.

The weekly Meeting for Worship, 15 minutes of reflective silence, enhances the sense of a spiritual community by providing a quiet center to a busy week. In ongoing school-wide community service projects, students also learn the value of compassionate action. The Lower School, often described as a caring community, gives students an understanding of the powerful behaviors that go into creating it.

“Meeting for Worship is a calm place to go because it’s very quiet. I’ve also learned to use words instead of body parts to settle conflict” Eamon Niedermayer, Class of ’19

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Moorestown, New Jersey

Eamon Niedermayer ’19 is fascinated by the sciences. He and his classmates used their imagination to create “new species” of animals by combining body parts from different animals.

“We used the claw of a crab, legs from a butterfly, wings of an owl, eyes of a spider and more,” he says. “We created mutant animals.”

This and other wonders are unfolding for Eamon in first grade.

His class recently wrapped up a unit on the senses. “We learned about senses: sniffing, touching, seeing, hearing and tasting,” says Eamon. He adds: “We taste tested all different kinds of fruit. I really liked the strawberries.” His senses fuel an imagination that enjoys writing, art and design.

“I like poetry” Eamon says. A recent acrostic poem he wrote used the letters of his name: “E is for eyes like a hawk, A is for active, M is for mannerly, O is for older brother, and N is for ‘No, No!’” which he is used to saying to his younger sisters and brother. He then lets on to his true career aspiration: “I want to be an architect. I have an Etch-a-Sketch and it’s not too hard to design houses.”

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

9:1

Student to Teacher Ratio

Our teachers are ever-present guides in the learning process: As expert educators, advisors and athletic coaches, they are accessible to students throughout the day. In these roles, our teachers create an adult culture where students feel safe to grow spiritually and emotionally.

Every student-teacher relationship is informed by this deep mutual respect.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

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Moorestown Friends School

Middle School

Grades 5 through 8

“The teachers make the school. They can relate to you and you can relate to them.”

Laura Bader, Class of ’12

In the Middle School, increasingly sophisticated studies fuel the self-discovery that begins in Lower School. Students start to look at complex issues from different perspectives and to apply critical thinking skills. Studies feature a year of Latin, exposure to French, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, and instruction in the earth, life and physical sciences. Social studies areas covered include civilization and the ancient world, the Middle Ages, the Atlantic world and topics in U.S. history.

In addition to English and Mathematics, students pursue Art, Music, Woodshop and Health. Non-academic clubs, known as activities, meet during the school day four out of six days.

We provide a safe atmosphere that nurtures an adolescent’s growing individuality. Each student meets daily with his or her advisor who monitors social and academic growth. At a time when more grown-up choices are made, our ethical education comes into play: Quaker studies help students develop an inner discipline to make good choices and to respect others.

The weekly 40-minute Meeting for Worship and service projects further strengthen the sense of belonging within the community. The curriculum also includes exciting educational field trips. Fifth graders spend two nights and three days in a 19th

century seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. Seventh graders develop an understanding and appreciation for the outdoors and ecology during their three-day trip to Stokes Forest, New Jersey.

Among a number of other field trips are visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art by grade six and by grade eight, and a fun end-of-year journey to Dorney Park for eighth graders.

One of the special educational experiences for Middle Schoolers is Intensive Learning. Every spring each grade pursues a week-long project that may take students and teachers off-campus to study subjects such as zoo design, theater or the natural environment. Intensive Learning, a favorite experience among students and faculty alike, brings an entire grade together to work as a group to achieve a challenging goal. These projects energize all involved.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

Laura Bader, Class of ’12, is passionate about the written word.

An English unit covering the Holocaust brought out emotion that flowed onto paper as her class corresponded with a survivor. “After we read the book Your Name is Renee, we corresponded with Holocaust survivor Ruth Kapp Hartz who is the subject of the book,” she says. “It brought history to life in my English class.”

At MFS, she feels a unique bond with her teachers. “They make you feel like an individual by respecting everyone’s opinion,” she says. In addition to writing, Laura also enjoys studying the life sciences and biology and is considering a career in medicine. “I like learning about human systems and how they relate to our life,” she says.

An avid field hockey and lacrosse player, Laura also enjoys getting out to the playing fields after class. “I like the team aspect of school sports,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what grade you’re in; we’re all friends with a love of the sport.” An MFS student since preschool, Laura values the small-school environment. She says, “MFS has made me the person I am. The community is so welcoming.”

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

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Members of the Student Body

A growing and dynamic diversity of students enriches the school community with a range of talents, experiences and cultures. In this diversity, our campus reflects the real world.

And students discover that learning is much more than absorbing information – it’s about expanding one’s world by comprehending and honoring others’ perspectives.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

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Moorestown Friends School

The Upper School gives students a thorough grounding in a traditional college preparatory curriculum including required courses in English, history, world languages, science and math, as well as the flexibility to pursue areas of personal interest.

Required courses first ensure our students possess strong speaking, writing and research skills. Then, students may customize learning, choose alternative major courses such as creative writing, computer programming or finance; or take Honors and Advanced Placement classes. Another option is for students to apply for the two-year MFS Honors Program, which is designed to challenge and inspire 11th and 12th grade students wishing to undertake the most rigorous and wide-ranging college-preparatory curriculum the school has to offer.

Powerful experiential education continues with the World Languages Immersion Trips, one week of out-of-classroom Intensive Learning, a four-week on-site Senior Project, and special events such as the Mock Primary Election and May Day. Visual and performing arts courses, from modern painting and advanced photography to theater arts and music theory, balance out academics.

Upper School

Grades 9 through 12

Small classes, individual attention and our student-focused philosophy inspire excellence: Our students win national and state academic competitions yearly. Students are selected for the State Governor’s Schools (summer study experiences), are named Edward J. Bloustein Scholars and are named National Merit Scholars. Our students excel on national college entrance examinations, and virtually all graduates attend four-year accredited colleges.

In addition, the Upper School’s values-based education equips students for effective and rewarding college, professional and personal lives. The monthly business meeting, a Quaker-based form of student government, teaches the art of decision-making by consensus, the right of every person to have a voice and responsibility for every person to participate positively.

We also emphasize compassionate action by requiring students to complete 50 hours of community service. The weekly Meeting for Worship cultivates additional values such as patience and self-knowledge. By the time they graduate, our students are spirited and creative thinkers who both desire and have the tools to work with others toward a common purpose.

“Teachers know how to push you to your limits. You’re required to do a lot of work on your own time.”

Janak Bhatt, Class of ’09

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Moorestown, New Jersey

It is possible to balance work and play: Ask Janak Bhatt. He enthusiastically dives into some of his favorite courses such as AP biology and AP Calculus AB while also playing key roles on the varsity boys soccer and tennis teams. An aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon, Janak appreciates the challenges that MFS faculty present to students. “It feels good to be challenged and do well,” he says.

Janak is an MFS Student Admissions Ambassador and is a member of the Film Club and the Agenda Committee, a leadership arm of the Quaker form of student governance. He also places a high value on service. He has visited India three times during past summers to volunteer with the Earn and Learn Project, an educational program for orphans.

Janak has garnered individual awards in regional and national music, science and engineering competitions. However, it’s the sense of community that he enjoys most about MFS. “The peer-to-peer interactions are great,” Janak says.

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

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Varsity Sports Teams

Sports at Moorestown Friends School are an important part of educating the whole person: body, mind and spirit. On the playing field, students learn to engage all three aspects – technical skill, the will to win and the grace to accept whatever the outcome may be. As they advance in competition, our student-athletes combine rigor with respect.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

“I have great bonds with my coaches and teachers.

You really get to know them well in a school our size.”

Mike Stobbe, Class of ’09

Our sports program features athletics that provide the challenge and variety student-athletes desire. Athletics play a prominent role in our values-based education: We understand that applying oneself, working as a team, and winning or losing with dignity, are some of life’s most important lessons.

At Moorestown Friends School, each student-athlete is an equal on the team. This approach fosters genuine teamwork, mutual respect and honest achievement. How our athletes play is as important as what they play. While embracing these values, our teams are highly competitive, and individuals often continue their sports throughout life.

Moorestown Friends School offers varsity and junior varsity sports in baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, fencing, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and swimming.

The Middle School features baseball, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer and tennis. Although each team includes athletes with varied levels of skill, each consistently manages to compete against top opponents. We participate in the ninemember Friends Schools League, and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, which provides opportunities to compete for state championships.

Students rate athletics as one of our top strengths. Physical education begins in the Lower School with movement skills, cooperative games and team sports, and grows in the Middle School with individual and team sports, recreational activities and development of self-discipline and self-esteem. Upper School students may participate in team sports or pursue individual fitness training such as aerobics or weight training.

Parental support is strong: The Red and Blue Club, a sports booster organization, helps with award events and sponsors fund-raising activities such as a Golf and Tennis Tournament and the annual Red Sock Run which features a Toddler Trek, Fun Run/Walk and 5k race. These events bring students, parents and alums together to celebrate athletic effort – evoking a team spirit that is the essence of our school.

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Moorestown, New Jersey

Mike Stobbe is a three-sport athlete with aspirations of playing soccer or baseball in college. He has thrived in the MFS athletic program. “Since Middle School, I’ve always had the opportunity to play which may not have been the case at all schools.”

As a freshman, he was inserted into the starting varsity baseball lineup at shortstop and never relinquished the spot.

“I struggled a lot early on, but Coach stayed with me,” he says.

“I gradually started making the plays and built up my confireplacement to-come dence.” In the classroom, Mike especially enjoys math. “Math comes pretty easy for me. I took finance this year and really enjoyed it.” He plans to study business in college.

Mike is quite active in the school community serving as president of the Sports Club and treasurer of the BBQ Club, a group that raises funds for charitable causes through their culinary wizardry. He is also an MFS Admissions Ambassador. When things seem busy and Mike needs to focus, his coaches help keep things in perspective: “MFS coaches make it clear: school and family, then sports.” he says.

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Moorestown Friends School

Preschool through Grade 12

“We have an unwavering policy of encouraging the arts: It’s understood the arts are vital to building the whole child.”

Richard Marcucci, Chairperson, Art Department

Our students experience the arts as both creators and connoisseurs. Our Music program immerses Lower School students in violin and recorder, individual and group vocals, and theory.

Middle and Upper School students advance to choirs, chorales, hand bells, and jazz, wind or string ensembles. In two annual concerts at each division, students showcase their musical talents.

The Upper School offers a Theater Arts major with advanced directing, acting and technical courses. In our vibrant yearly performance schedule, Middle and Upper Schools each produce a musical, seventh graders create one for their Intensive Learning project, and the Drama Club and seniors put on additional plays. Our Visual Arts program explores the artistic experience in sophisticated courses ranging from studio art, ceramics and digital art to sculpture, woodcarving and photography.

Our students also visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, and each division has its own Spring Art Show.

Parent involvement in support of the arts is guided by the BRAVO! Club, which assists with the advertising, production, costumes and sets for school plays.

Middle and Upper School clubs reflect dozens of student interests while parent clubs support sports, the arts and parent involvement. Each year, we also host a Thanksgiving food drive, winter clothing drive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and Middle School Service Fair. Students may additionally volunteer in locations such as New Orleans, the Florida Everglades or the mountains of Mexico; or visit Canada, France or Spain in the Foreign Language Exchanges. Athletics, arts and activities complement our outstanding academics.

Moorestown Friends School welcomes applications from students who are eager to excel academically and contribute positively to our school community. We recommend you apply for admission between September 1 and February 1 to be admitted for the following year. Please contact the Admissions Office for further information. The Admissions Office staff looks forward to guiding interested families through the admissions process.