Spring 2018 Intensive Learning Options: Local
ASIAN CULTURE
We will explore Asia, including Eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Southern-Western Asia, and Western Asia. Students will learn the traditions, food, clothing, arts, music, architecture, and so on. This program will include trips to local Asian communities in the area and feature guest lecturers on campus.
BAYSHORE DISCOVERY PROJECT
At Bayshore Discovery Project in Port Norris, MFS students learn about the Delaware Bay wetlands ecosystem and oyster industry and help restore New Jersey’s tall ship, the AJ Meerwald. The group provides hundreds of hours of service work aboard the Meerwald, scraping, sanding, painting, and varnishing the boat to prepare her for the next sailing season when she is used for fundraising and educational programs.
BLACKSMITHING
Creativity at its most elemental! This program invites students to work with a master blacksmith to learn the basic techniques of making iron tools or artworks on an outdoor coal forge. There is also space and time for crafting wood-turned objects, especially if the weather doesn’t permit outdoor blacksmith work. We are also hoping to add a night of camping on-site at the historic Harriton House, to extend our working time and enrich the experience. Students will learn a variety of techniques and be given the opportunity to choose their own projects to complete.
CABINETS OF CURIOSITIES
Did you know that natural history museums and freak shows had common ancestors? That people studying the first mastodon bones found in the United States were convinced they were the bones of giants? That P.T. Barnum started out exhibiting “mermaids?” That in time natural history museums became visual essays on race, imperialism and white supremacy?
The first natural history museum in the United States was in Philadelphia; when it got too big for the rooms it occupied in Philosophers Hall, it moved into what is now Independence Hall. There was a live bear in the courtyard and monkeys sometimes scampered up the rooftop. In this Intensive Learning Program, we will look at the evolution of natural history museums and what they tell us about how Americans think. Though that first museum no longer exists, we can visit the site and speak with curators who are familiar with the artifacts Charles Wilson Peale put on display there (they will let us look at some amazing historical artifacts while we’re there!). We will think about why it seemed important to the brand new United States to assemble a picture of its natural history (hint: it was partly because European scholars were convinced that this continent wasn’t mature enough to support full-sized life). We will also visit the American Museum of Natural History in New York, a monument to Theodore Roosevelt, manhood and the racial thinking of a century ago; what does it mean that the structure of that earlier story still exists, though our thinking about race has changed?
This will be a chance to think about how architecture and objects shape our sense of national identity—and to think about whether there are alternative ways to display things that would tell a story more in keeping with modern thinking about gender and race. As a final product, we will design an ideal virtual exhibit for 21st century Americans to visit.
DESIGN THINKING: PROBLEM SOLVING WITH PURPOSE
Want to solve real-world problems, but don’t even know where to begin? In this Intensive Learning experience, you will be learning a people-centered problem solving method called Design Thinking, which was developed at Stanford University. It requires no specific prior knowledge and focuses on innovation, creativity, empathy and teamwork. Before we set out to work with our local partners, you will gain a sense of the Design Thinking method through a “Flashlab”– that is, one full iteration of the DEEPdt process (Discover, Empathize, Experiment, Produce).
AN EXPLORATION OF SACRED SPACES IN PHILADELPHIA
[quote]“The quantity and variety of significant religious landmarks in Philadelphia is unsurpassed in the nation. The early establishment of religious freedom in William Penn’s colony allowed people of many faith traditions to construct houses of worship.” These congregations and their meeting places have remained an integral part of the city’s physical and spiritual fabric for more than three centuries.” Philadelphia Historic Preservation Corporation[/quote]
Students will explore the places held sacred to a selection of world religions and gain insight on the diverse ways in which people worship. Students will have the opportunity to visit largest Friends meeting house in the in the US, Arch Street Friends Meeting House, a Buddhist Shrine, a Mosque, and Congregation Mikveh Israel. Spirituality through art may also be experienced by viewing the French Cloisters, and visiting medieval and Renaissance Catholic art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
GLASS ART
Have you ever been mesmerized by stained glass? How can you express yourself creatively through a new medium? Specifically, how can we portray “light” through the art of working with glass. Have you ever wondered how stained glass windows were created? Here is your opportunity to learn about the history of the art form and create your own light reflecting stained glass pieces. Students will be able to learn how to create stained glass and painted glass at a glassblowing studio in Millville.
LET’S SEW FOR BABIES!
Make a real impact in the lives of babies who live nearby while learning (or improving) a valuable life skill! Let’s Sew for Babies partners with the Philadelphia chapter of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), an organization that works with low-income women who are pregnant with their first child, helping these vulnerable young clients achieve healthier pregnancies and births, stronger child development, and a path toward economic self-sufficiency. Whether you have strong sewing skills or have never sewn, you can provide adorable clothes for the children to help them on their way! In addition to sewing clothes, we will visit the NFP to learn more about the organization and meet the nurses who visit and provide support for the moms. At the end of the week, we will pack up our creations and celebrate with a delicious meal.
MULTICULTURAL PHILADELPHIA
Learn more about the multicultural diversity of Philadelphia by visiting historic sites, museums, and restaurants.Research different neighborhoods and cultures in Philadelphia. This IL program allows students to explore cultures different from their own to increase their level of cultural competency at MFS and beyond. Students should have a better understanding about how neighborhoods have historically evolved over time and impacted certain groups of people more than others. Why were certain cultures attracted to certain neighborhoods? What is gentrification and how has it impacted Philadelphia? What is the role of food in the different cultures we’ve explored?
QUILTING
Alzheimers is a devastating disease which destroys people long before they die from it. Many of you may have a relative that has this disease, and you’ve seen how sometimes Alzheimer’s patients fidget with their hands. After learning how to use a sewing machine and quilt, we’ll make fidgety quilts and present them to a local assisted living facility. This Intensive Learning will teach you a life skill (sewing), stretch your creativity, and give you a sense of accomplishment, while you help others.
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: CANINE CORNER
Students will learn about the newest research into Canine social psychology and how it impacts our interactions with dogs at home, on the job, and in shelters. We will visit shelters and the Penn Vet Working Dog Center. We will meet show dogs and working dogs and we will do service at least 1 shelter. So if you like dogs, come join us. We will look at the current research on human-canine interactions, dog training, therapy dogs, service dogs, and canine-related laws. Students will earn service hours during trips to local animal shelters. This year we will spend at least one day at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, which trains dogs for search and rescue, cancer detection and military and police work. Design projects will focus on the design of dog spaces, dog products, dog breeds, fund-raisers for dogs, and/or a dog service business. As we will be in close contact with dogs and other animals, please do not sign up if you have allergies to animals.
SOUTH JERSEY SERVICE
South Jersey Service will provide an opportunity for students to volunteer and serve at a variety of organizations with varying missions. Students will learn how they can serve in multiple ways and about the different kinds of need in our region.
Spring 2018 Intensive Learning Options: Overnight Domestic
BASEBALL AND SERVICE, MYRTLE BEACH, SC
Travel by motorcoach to Myrtle Beach to practice and play baseball. We will have a practice or game each day and some days two practices. We start each day with two hours of service at the local food bank and then make our way over to the Ripken Experience Baseball Complex. (Beautiful all turf fields with batting cages, pitcher’s mounds and practice infields throughout the complex). We also have many team building activities that will fill in the rest of the time. Tons of baseball and long-lasting memories.
WILDERNESS LEADERSHIP AND MINDFULNESS
Students will journey on a backpacking trip through the Shenandoah National Park. We will sleep in tents and carry everything we need on our backs. Our wilderness experience will include important hands-on leadership as students take control of such tasks as navigation, selecting and setting up campsites, working the stove and cooking dinner, and hanging “bear bags” to keep food out of the reach of wildlife. Mindfulness will also be a significant component of the trip as students get immersed in the beauty of nature and the rhythm of the trail. No previous backpacking experience is necessary, although enthusiasts and experts are welcome.
Spring 2017 Intensive Learning Options: International
CHINA
The China program will be a great opportunity for students to explore a different culture with the knowledge they learned in school. It will be an unforgettable trip taking in relics of ancient civilization, splendid imperial sites and fast pacing modern China. This will also be a great experience for the students to practice communicating in the target language.
COSTA RICA
This trip will be a combination of service, conservation, and adventure. We will be staying at the Buena Vista Eco Lodge in the Guanacaste region of north western Costa Rica. During the first 3 days we will visit farms and take classes in conservation and then have some great outdoor adventures: hiking, a canopy zipline tour, and horseback riding near the volcano. Then we move on to the community service project at the Buena Vista School which is organized by Green Action Learning Projects of Costa Rica. There will be lots of interaction with the children at the school and we will provide services that are most needed by the school and community. We will end our trip by swimming in the thermal waters of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park.
ECUADOR AND THE GALAPAGOS
We will begin our trip in Quito, the second highest official capital city in the world and the one which is closest to the equator. We will visit colonial Quito, the Middle of the World where you can stand with one foot on the northern hemisphere and on the southern hemisphere with the other. We will spend one day at the famous Otavalo market surrounded by the Andes Mountains. We drive through the Avenue of the Volcanos where we will see El Chimborazo, the “highest mountain on earth above Earth’s center.” Next we will spend a day in Guayaquil, my hometown, before flying to The Galapagos Islands. These islands are known for their vast number of endemic species and were studied by Charles Darwin. His observations here contributed to his theory of evolution by means of natural selection.
FRENCH IMMERSION
The French Immersion trip is an opportunity for current or former students in the MFS French program to put their language into practice and to act as cultural ambassadors for our school abroad. We will begin our journey with an exploration of the museums, monuments, and other highlights of Paris. Our time in Paris will include one day spent participating in language and culture activities on the campus of our French sister school. After a train ride to the Pyrenees mountains on the French/Spanish border, we will meet the host families with whom we will stay for four nights. We will participate in group activities during the day and return to our host families in the evenings. Preference for this trip will be giving to 10th-12th grade current or former French students, although 9th grade French students may be considered.
ITALY AND CROATIA
Uncover the history of ancient Rome; stand in the legendary Coliseum, marvel at the Sistine Chapel, feel the heartbeat of political life in the Forum Romanum, all while enjoying the vibrant city culture and delicious Italian fare. Poised between the Balkans and Central Europe, Croatia has been passed between competing kingdoms, empires and republics for millennia resulting in the rich cultural legacy that each has left behind. Whether you are visiting Dubrovnik for the first time or the hundredth, the sense of awe never fails to descend when you set eyes on the beauty of the city’s marble streets, baroque buildings and the endless shimmer of the Adriatic.