Headlines for Alumni – November 1, 2024
Welcome to Headlines for Alumni! This is a brand new alumni newsletter. It will feature a few short stories on alumni, students, and MFS news, a calendar of upcoming alumni events, and a photo or two from the school’s archives. This concise, semi-monthly communication will keep you in the loop about interesting news in our greater school community.
NBA Foundation names Ruth Jurgensen ’91 as new Executive Director
Ruth will lead the Foundation’s mission to drive economic empowerment for Black youth through employment and career advancement. Formed in 2020 by the NBA Board of Governors, the Foundation has awarded $119 million in grants benefitting more than 240 youth-serving organizations. Ruth will be responsible for the strategic development, creation and implementation of programs and partnerships that advance the NBA Foundation’s efforts to increase access and support for high school, college-aged, job-ready and mid-career Black men and women. Additionally, she will oversee the administration of grants to national and local organizations that provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development. A trustee at Moorestown Friends from 2022 through 2024, Ruth noted, “I have learned throughout my career that with the proper investment and consistent commitment there is no limit to what young people can achieve. I look forward to building upon what is already a strong record of success in partnership with our board, teams, and players.” Prior to joining the NBA Foundation, Jurgensen was the CEO at Prep for Prep, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization focused on leadership development and expanding educational access for students of color.
Pretty Damn Sweet and Steve Gifford ’00 Recognized for Work with Blue Man Group
Co-founder Steve Gifford and his company Pretty Damn Sweet were the cover story in the July-August issue of Philly Ad News featuring immersive entertainment. Blue Man Group recently retained Pretty Damn Sweet to help evolve their use of media. Steve is quoted in the article: “It’s exciting to see a global entertainment brand such as Blue Man Group invest in pushing the production to the cutting edge. Through this partnership, we’ve created new and exciting content that will take Blue Man Group audiences on a gorgeous abstract ride of humor, science, art, and more.” Pretty Damn Sweet also received numerous awards and recognition for their work with Adobe’s MAX Creativity Conference. Directed by Gifford, the overall design for the event and opening film experience was shortlisted for a prestigious D&AD award, One Show Award, and won best Motion Graphics in the Communication Arts competition which were featured in CommArts magazine. Pretty Damn Sweet is an immersive content studio with a passion for mixing imagination with innovation. Its work for clients such as Adobe, Warner Media, ESPN, Disney, and SXSW has also earned recognition from Rolling Stone Magazine, Webby, Clios, One Show, and Addys.
Foxes score impressive debut in Burlington County Scholastic League
Moorestown Friends has burst into the Burlington County Scholastic League with four championships in their first three seasons of competition after joining the league in Winter 2023-24. In the Spring, Boys’ Tennis and Golf won BCSL division titles and recently both the Field Hockey and Boys’ Soccer teams captured titles. Field Hockey is the #5 seed in the upcoming NJSIAA Non-Public South tournament and hosts Paul VI on Tuesday at 2 p.m., while Boys’ Soccer is the top seed and has earned a bye in the NJSIAA Non-Public B South tournament and will host a second round match next Friday at 2 p.m. against the winner of St. Rose vs. Holy Cross. Go Foxes!
Emma Baiada ’10’s feature film, Song of Salt, is now on Amazon Prime
Emma’s film is an observational documentary set in the tight-knit, desert mining community of Trona, California as its residents, suspended between the past and future, face the present realities of an eroding economy. Emma noted, “Burned out, abandoned, and neglected, Trona appears to be in its death throes, but, like in most deserts, life here takes on surprising and beautiful forms. It’s both an elegy to and a celebration of rural, post-industrial America, and it aims to reveal the complexity of one community that serves as a microcosm of the many like it across the country today.” The intimate film is about struggle, but mostly about the beauty of the human spirit in all its hopefulness, evidenced by the town’s community spirit and the connection they have with each other. Co-directed by Nocolas Snider, the film was produced in 2022 and has been featured in a number of screenings. It was sponsored by California Humanities with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Follow this link to watch and leave a review.
Among her many projects, Emma received a Grammy nomination in 2019 for Best Music Film, as she was a video producer on the documentary series Shangri-La, which explores creative conversation and the emotional side of music-making. She was also an associate producer for the Mister Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor.