Spring 2023 Intensive Learning Options
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
This IL group travels to different artistic venues in the Philadelphia area. Students will visit a variety of art exhibits, tour professional establishments, and speak with people who have made careers in music, art, and drama. Prior destinations include museums, recording studios, instrument building/repair facilities, theaters, and performance halls.
CHINESE CULTURE
We will explore Chinese culture and practice taiji and calligraphy, study traditional Chinese medicine, and sample traditional Chinese food.
FOLK ART & LIVING SIMPLY
Creating art is an elemental process in all human cultures, particularly in the transformation of soil into ceramics, natural fibers into paper or cloth, berries or bark into natural dyes, and many other “folk art” crafts. These technologies have their origin in antiquity, yet are still vibrant art media that MFS students will experience hands-on in this IL. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in the US on living simply and exploring a more sustainable, DIY lifestyle. Through this IL experience, students will adopt a “challenge by choice” approach to a variety of craft techniques, including pit-fired pottery, forming candles and soap, basket weaving, textile and paper making, natural dyes, and simple metalwork. Most of our time will be spent at MFS, with a possible excursion to a local artist’s studio.
GIVE KIDS THE WORLD, FLORIDA
Give Kids The World Village is an 84-acre, nonprofit “storybook” resort in Central Florida. Here, children with critical illnesses and their families are treated to week-long, cost-free vacations. There, we will serve food, run rides, and escort families around the village. We will also be working at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando as well as the Christian Service Center, where we will be serving lunches to families and individuals in Orlando. Finally, after a hard-working four days, we will enjoy some fun at Magic Kingdom.
HANDS-ON SCIENCE
Complete labs in various science disciplines that aren’t a part of the science classes offered at MFS and head out on exciting trips to various science-related museums and exhibits throughout the Philadelphia area.
HISTORICAL MOCK TRIAL
This IL offering will allow participants to participate as lawyers and witnesses in a famous trial from the past which may or may not have occurred. Perhaps it will be the trial of Socrates, or President Andrew Jackson, or Robespierre, or Sacco and Vanzetti. Participants will decide which case from a list of around 10 options before the week begins. Over the week, they will learn about mock trial and moot court, as well as the history regarding the case. Legal experts will be invited to offer advice to our prosecutors and defense attorneys. On Friday morning, the case will be argued and a verdict will be rendered.
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL TOUR OF GERMANY
Guten Tag! This year, 18 seniors along with Jackie Scully, Meredith Godley, and Katie Stutz are embarking on a historical/cultural trip to Germany with a focus on World War II and Cold War eras. As we travel through Germany we will visit Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden, Nuremberg, and Munich. Some of the historical/cultural sites that we will visit include Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Cold War underground bunkers, Leipzig (Augustus Square, Old Town Hall, St. Thomas Church), Dresden city walk, Nuremberg-War Crimes Trial Museum, Dachau Concentration Camp & Memorial, Munich (BMW Headquarters, Olympic site of 1972, Hofbrauhaus). Before and after our visit to Dachau Concentration Camp & Memorial we will hold a MFW and share our reflections. Students will then immerse themselves in rich German culture and traditions as we end our trip with a Bavarian bratwurst dinner and a visit to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. Gute Reise!
ICELAND: ICE & FIRE
Intrepid Icelandic Investigation: Students will spend a week in the land of fire and ice observing and exploring the incredible natural wonders that are available nowhere else on earth. Amazing waterfalls and geysers, volcanoes, glaciers, hot springs, and the confluence of continental plates; will highlight a nonstop line-up of jaw dropping sites while we learn how Icelandic culture adapted and developed to living in such a remote and often inhospitable place with first-hand evidence of how the forces of global climate change are continuing to shape the future for all of us.
ITALY
Students travelling to Italy this year will be immersed in art, culture and food. Immediately after arriving in Milan, students will head to Florence, stopping on the way to visit a Parmigiano and Prosciutto de Parma factory and Modena balsamic vinegar tasting. While in Florence, travellers will visit many iconic sites, including Dante’s house, Giotto’s Bell Tower, a leather factory, and the Duomo. Hands-on experiences will include a cooking class and a charcoal drawing class where students will be able to try their hand at making local delicacies and fine art. The next stop on the journey is Rome with a quick stop in Cortona on the way. In Rome, students will visit more sites, including the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and the Pantheon before a pizza making class for dinner. Our final day will be spent at the Vatican visiting museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica.
LITERARY ENGLAND
We will start our adventure in London, with touring, a visit to the British Library, and outings to see the musical Six in the West End and A Winter’s Tale at the Globe. We will then visit Bath to learn more about Jane Austen and Mary Shelley, and then on to Stratford to visit Shakespeare’s childhood home and see another production at the Royal Shakespeare Company. The second half of our trip will take us into the countryside, to the Peak District National Park, the Lake District National Park, and Yorkshire. We’ll end our trip in the city of Manchester.
“LOW & SLOW:” THE SCIENCE, CULTURE, & PRACTICE OF TRUE BARBECUE
Students will learn, in both hands-on and more traditionally academic ways, about barbecue. The experience will cover the history and cultural importance of barbecue, the science involved in low and slow cooking of tough cuts of meat, and how to actually cook barbecue. We will cook and enjoy multiple meals together, likely involving multiple forms of pork barbecue as well as traditionally associated dishes from the American South. We hope to venture off campus to a barbecue restaurant and at least one food-related service experience.
MULTICULTURAL PHILLY
Students will visit museums, tour neighborhoods, and eat lots of great food while learning about different communities in Philadelphia. Students will also discuss and explore their own identities and communities.
PINE BARRENS EXPERIENCE
Students will spend the week learning about the rich history and biodiversity of the local Pine Barrens region. The week will include hiking, a visit to a former blacksmithing/glass-making village, and visits to local businesses.
PUERTO RICO: HURRICANE MARIA RELIEF
We will kick off our service/culture/adventure trip with a guided walking tour through Old San Juan. During the rest of the days we will work in the community of Villa del Rio on home construction projects to repair damage from Hurricane Maria. We will mix concrete, build floors, walls, staircases, and more. In the evenings we will have time to swim, listen to music, and do a little salsa dancing. We’ll end the trip with an evening kayak excursion through the waters of the magnificent Fajardo bio-luminescent bay. This trip is a real “work hard/play hard” experience that has been organized by Global Works to help with the continued restoration of the beautiful and culturally rich island of Puerto Rico.
SOLAR ENERGY
Students will explore solar energy by building a solar charging station for cell phones and a solar oven to heat up food. Hopefully we will be able to take a trip to a local solar field.
SONGWRITING SEMINAR
Do you write songs? Are you interested in the history of commercial/popular music? Would you like to take a shot at writing your own songs or lyrics? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this week-long exploration might be for you. We will look at the evolution of modern popular music genres including blues, jazz, folk, rock, R&B, hip hop, rap, etc. We will then craft our own music and learn about the technologies used to create contemporary music recordings. We will also speak with professional songwriters about the craft and how they approach writing.
SOUTH JERSEY SERVICE
South Jersey Service will provide an opportunity for students to volunteer and serve at a variety of local organizations with varying missions. Students will learn how they can serve in multiple ways and about the different kinds of needs in our region.
SPAIN: HISTORY, LANGUAGE, & CULTURE
US students will embark on a journey to Spain designed as a meaningful appreciation for Spanish language, culture, and architecture as well as an exciting introduction to community service work abroad. Through walking tours of Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia students will learn about places, traditions, and food, all of which they have learned about in the Spanish classroom. Students will also experience working and living in a sustainable local community while doing environmental service projects. When in Segovia students will see the Aqueduct, a classic example of Roman water transport architecture, with parts of the original system still in use today. While visiting Toledo, home of Mannerist painter El Greco, students will walk through the maze-like streets of the ancient quarters. Finally, Madrid, where we will be a few blocks from the majestic Plaza Mayor, and the renowned Prado and Reina Sofia Museums.