Students Share Projects with Community at First-Ever Capstone Showcase

Students presented their work to the community at the first-ever Upper School Capstone Showcase on the evening December 10.

The MFS Capstone Program is designed to challenge and inspire students wishing to pursue advanced study in a particular field. Beginning in the spring semester of junior year and running through the middle of senior year, the program has participants engage in scholarly work, community-engaged research, and/or creative design under the guidance of the Capstone Program Advisor and a project-specific Faculty Project Advisor. In the junior year, students complete a rigorous research program related to their topic to set a solid foundation for their project work including a written literature review and enhanced research/project proposal. Over the summer between their junior and senior year, students are expected to perform the bulk of their project work by engaging in whichever research method or project plan that they have created. Final projects are refined and completed in the fall semester of senior year. All projects culminate in a public demonstration at our community-wide Capstone Program Showcase event. A typical project takes the equivalent commitment to an advanced placement or honors course.

Program Co-Directors are Upper School Director Noah Rachlin and Middle/Upper School Librarian Nicole Weber.

Below are project titles in the Class of 2024 Capstone Cohort:

Alec Haines – “Comparative Analysis of Solar Tracking”
Advised by: Drew Newman

Azaria Coleman-Stokes – “The Injustices Faced by Women of Color in the Justice System”
Advised by: Mary Anne Henderson

Charlotte Nesevich – “Understanding and Exploring the Complex Role of Statistics in Baseball”
Advised by: Michael Omilian

Dylan Neff – “Dance in Schools”
Advised by: Diana Day

Elliot Doan – “Fostering Awareness for Animal Shelters Through Art”
Advised by: Kyrie Palan

Esha Acharya – “Scented Coloring”
Advised by: Melissa McCourt

Grace Gardner – “The Foster Care System Awareness and Education Project”
Advised by: Julie Lyons

Katherine Lee – “Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Cosmetic Dental Procedures Among Adolescents and Dentists”
Advised by: Susan Batastini

Luca McKenzie – “Betta Love”
Advised by: Matt Lubicky

Luke Iacono – “(Not Just) Chinese Rooms: The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence”
Advised by: Dan Sussman

Madelyn Calixto – “Uplift Art Initiative”
Advised by: Max Bogaert

Mason Levens – “Analytical Approaches to Teaching Mathematics”
Advised by: Michael Omilian

Maya DeAndrea – “A Powerless Gavel? A Quantitative Analysis of United Nations Climate Policy”
Advised by: Katie LuBrant

Anaiyah Jones – “Strands of History”
Advised by: Kenya Barber

Sarah Huynh – “From Waste to Wonder: Sustainable Furniture Solutions at Moorestown Friends”
Advised by: Drew Newman

Sophia Lalani – “Using Children’s Books to Reduce Preoperative Children’s Anxiety”
Advised by: Clare MacKenzie

Vikram Verma – “The Effects of Political Change on Market Valuation in the Environmental Sector”
Advised by: Scott Hanson