Diversity

At Moorestown Friends School, we are committed to fostering an environment that is both diverse and inclusive. In keeping with the Quaker philosophy of honoring each individual, students representing different ethnic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds are challenged daily to respect and learn from one another. Across the curriculum, from the youngest students through the Upper School students, we continue to shape and refine a multicultural curriculum that will prepare our students to be productive citizens in the global society in which we live. There are many opportunities for students to be active in promoting diversity awareness such as the Anytown and Martin Luther King Clubs - where students gather weekly to focus on diversity issues affecting the daily lives of students in the community. The Camden Scholars Program has a 30-year tradition of helping to foster a diverse student body at MFS.

As Diversity Coordinator, I serve as an advocate to our students of color and their families and to the faculty and staff of MFS through seminars, workshops and special events. Interested faculty and staff participate in faculty-centered faculty development in S.E.E.D. (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) seminars held throughout the year.

Please feel free to contact me at (856) 235-2900 for further information.

– Karen Washington, Director of Multicultural Affairs

Read Karen Washington's column, "Defining and Exploring Diversity at MFS" from the Fall 2007 issue of the school's Among Friends magazine. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Moorestown Friends School Diversity Statement
Moorestown Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, or sexual orientation.

Camden Scholars
The Camden Scholars Program at MFS has a long tradition of providing unique opportunities to students from the Camden School District. Recommended by guidance counselors at Camden Middle Schools, candidates apply to the Moorestown Friends School, visit classes and are interviewed. Once selected by the Camden Scholars Committee and admitted, the student receives a scholarship that provides virtually full tuition to MFS.

Camden Scholars are encouraged to pursue their interests and develop their talents. Camden Scholars participate in clubs, serve as student leaders, are athletes and perform in plays. They go on overnight retreats and field trips.

Moorestown Friends School has a Camden Scholars Coordinator who serves as a liaison to help participants adjust to their new learning environment and sustain a healthy and successful academic and extracurricular schedule. The school's Diversity Coordinator oversees student, employee and curricular diversity efforts throughout the entire school with the aid of a faculty/staff sub-committee.

Here is what some graduates of the program have to say about their MFS experience:

“Moorestown Friends put in me that whatever I do in life, it has to include community service. I
would not be who I am today without Moorestown Friends.” - Julian Austin, Class of 1991.

"They have given me a chance to become everything I've dreamed about." - Sofia Marie

Beniquez, Class of 2000.

“Without the Camden Scholars program, I would have been ill-equipped to compete in this New Economy. The Camden Scholars program was a gateway to great educational experiences.”

- Gregory Billings, Class of 1984.

“The aroma of the school smells of love, kindness, and belonging. If I could define

Moorestown Friends it would not be as a school, but as a home away from home.

Moorestown Friends is one of the best schools to attend in New Jersey. With staff who not only teach well, but tend to any need that a student has which would sometimes stretch

beyond the classroom. This is a place where everyone knows your name from the classroom to the kitchen staff. The Quaker values that were set in the soil when the first brick

was laid back in 1785 become a part of every student who walks through the MFS hallways.”

- Tiphinnie Brown, Class of 2008.

"The program taught me to really think about my place in the world and how to
make the most out of it. In retrospect, the program has induced my desire for personal, spiritual,
educational, and professional growth that is still very much alive today. The best memory I have of the program was having a home away from home. In other words, the Camden
Scholars were a tight community - we helped each other through everything and we all became family.” - LaShaniece Echevarria, Class of 2006.

"It's really great! The Camden Scholars Program gives life-changing opportunities to people who wouldn't receive them under different circumstances. It wasn't easy, but it was well worth it."
- Terrence Fluellen, Class of 2000.

"The Camden Scholars Program is the best thing that ever happened to me."
- Quang Huynh, Class of 2001.

“I believe that the Camden Scholars Program may have saved my life. The personal attention I
received from my teachers and staff there helped me to better understand my personal learning style and was very helpful in my development as a student and as a person. It
was an excellent opportunity to gain the education that I knew in my heart I deserved, but otherwise would not have been able to afford.” - Tiffany Taylor Jenkins, Class of 1997.

"MFS prepares its students to be leaders. MFS prepared me for college - more so than any other school could have. I learned how to think and form my own opinions and then express them in a variety of mediums." - Letitia Lee, Class of 1995.

“The Camden Scholars Program allowed me the opportunity to attend MFS, which opened my eyes to what the ‘world’ outside of Camden looked like and the possibilities for

success that it held for me. One of the key, primary motivators in my work with K-12 private schools is that I have the opportunity to help other schools do for students what MFS

did for me, through the Camden Scholars Program." - Mark Mitchell, Class of 1986.

“I am grateful to MFS for promoting community service in my life. Volunteering
prepared me to interact with diverse groups of people and equipped me with countless social skills, including a strong sense of empathy. It also sparked my interest in both
domestic and global current events, making me eager to educate myself on the troubles that exist in our society and worldwide. I began to fully appreciate all of the blessings I
have received, and learned not to take life for granted. The MFS community was continually supportive of sometimes radical and innovative ways of becoming involved
in service, and in this manner, MFS fostered creativity, growth and self-expression. Most importantly, the school instilled a yearning in me to become a part of the solution and for this
ideology I am truly grateful to MFS.” - Fanny Mixter, Class of 2003.

“Being an alumnus of MFS means much more than having a diploma with nice calligraphy. It means having memories of inspired teachers and incredible friends. It means

being taught about the world and its inhabitants as a chain, and in doing so, awakening our social consciousness and making us responsible for the peace and change we wish to see

in the world. To me, MFS is so much more than a private school education, it is a badge of honor that carries the voices of supportive instructors, the power of service, and the spirit of

“MFS provides a whole new way of viewing the world through classes, teachers and
classmates. It prepares you not only for college but for life. You’ll be ready for anything that comes your way.” - Lucinda Newbill, Class of 2006.

"At MFS, I could concentrate on my studying." - Huy-Tuan Pham, Class of 2003.

"I see the world in a different way. I think in a different way. The Camden Scholars Program has taught me not to accept limitations of any kind. I left a more diverse and well-rounded individual."
- Chanelle M. Rivers, Class of 2001.

“The Camden Scholars Program was the beginning of several really amazing opportunities for me. As a junior at MFS, Mary Williams provided immeasurable guidance in my
academic pursuits. She pushed me toward schools and programs that I thought were out of my league. As a result of her efforts, I attended Cornell University's summer program
between my junior and senior years in high school. I studied Spanish within an immersion program. Now I work as a bilingual (Spanish speaking) attorney. Before going to
Cornell, I had never studied Spanish before. After Cornell, I knew that I wanted to be fluent in Spanish. During my senior year, Barnard College reps came to MFS to talk with small group of girls about the school. I ended up getting a full scholarship to Barnard and I still live
in New York.”- Lena Serrano, Class of 1993.

“Without the Camden Scholar program, I am not sure where I would be today. The program

opened up a lot of doors for me and has helped me view myself in a different light. The program took a shy and quiet boy and made him into a confident and outgoing leader. I am a global thinker and feel that I have something to offer society.” - Cornell Woodson, Class of 2005.

“I was surprised how easy college courses seemed when I arrived here. MFS really
prepared me for college coursework, and I didn’t really appreciate that until I got here.”

- Mike Young, Class of 2007.

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