#b#A Flying Triple Threat#/b#
Molly Karlin, a senior at High School North, will be flying across the school’s stage Thursday to Sunday, March 1 to 4, in the title role of “Peter Pan.” “Flying is very scary,” she says. “It’s an entirely new feeling being suspended in mid-air and having to let other people control where I am going.” This is actually her second time flying since she flew in a production of “Camelot” in her freshman year. “However, Peter Pan is going to require much more air choreography — like flying and landing,” she says.
Like most people who “fly” in any discipline, Karlin has a strong safety net. Her parents, Scott and Rosie Karlin, are often seen on stage at Kelsey Theater, and the three of them have performed together in several productions. And Molly has spent many summers honing her skills.
Karlin has studied with Dance Corner since she was four. She has taken the Ballet Intensive there for the past few summers, and assisted her mother with the pre-school dance camp. She has also attended the Company Intensive at Arts YOUniversity (now Destiny Arts) for the past three summers and has assisted with the musical theater summer camps.
“All my dance training throughout my life has definitely helped me onstage,” she says. “It always helps me at auditions that I am able to pick up choreography quickly and be able to call upon previous knowledge of steps to help me. I have also found it is really beneficial being a well-rounded performer who is a singer, an actor, and a dancer.”
A triple threat also gives the choreographer more flexibility on how much dancing they can choreograph for a role. “Specifically for Peter Pan, my dance training has helped me tremendously,” she says. “I am very glad I have so many steps and movements to draw upon when I have to be suspended in the air, and still be moving and acting like Peter Pan.”
She has been singing with Princeton Girlchoir for 10 years and studies voice with Patricia Bartlett. “I started with her last year to prepare for the role of Belle, and now she is helping me prepare for Peter Pan,” she says.
She was accepted through early decision to Muhlenberg College to major in theater arts. “In five years I hope to see myself working in the performance field, hopefully in New York,” she says.
#b#Future Farmers?#/b#
Amanda and Scott Guest attended camp at Terhune Orchards last summer. “It was recommended by a friend who had done it the previous year,” says their mother, Denise. “They loved learning basic farm things and got in touch with nature.”
Farm camp, a one-week program, for ages 7 to 10, focuses on how the farmer and nature work together to grow healthy crops and how they sometimes are at odds with each other. Activities include picking and preparing fruits and vegetables, tending to animals, hiking, and a trip to Howell Living History Farm. Future Farmers Gardening Camp, for ages 8 to 12, includes hands-on activities like farming, environment, learning tool safety, and study insects, water cycles, and historical agriculture.
During the school year Amanda, a fourth grade student at Village School, is busy with chorus and soccer in the fall. Justin, a third grade student at Hawk School, plays soccer, basketball, and baseball (West Windsor Little League).
Denise, a certified substitute teacher, works part-time in a surgical supply store. Her husband, Scott, works in private banking in New York City. They lived in West Windsor from 2001 to 2004, moved to Tampa, Florida for two years, and returned to West Windsor in 2007. “We followed Scott’s job,” says Denise.
Amanda and Scott also attend the Bible camp at Dutch Neck Church. “They have a lot of fun there,” says Denise. The family usually vacations in Myrtle Beach with extended family members. “I don’t overwhelm them; they need free time in the summer.”
#b#Double Trouble: Finding Camps for Siblings#/b#
While it is difficult to find a summer program for one child, it is even more difficult to find a camp for two — especially when they are the same age.
Twins Brett and Jessica Hepler, 12, are in seventh grade at Princeton Friends School. It is important to their parents that they are not in the same classes. Brett attended WW-P schools through the fifth grade.
“There are so many good local camps,” says their mother, Debbie Hepler. “I sign them up for things they are interested in.” Brett also attends baseball and Iceland ice hockey camp. Jessica, a Girl Scout in Troop 70866, has attended Girl Scout residential camp.
They have also attended violin camps and classes at the Arts Council of Princeton. One year they went to a four-week camp in New Hampshire. “They were very homesick,” she says.
Over the years they have attended many programs, but Mercer County’s Aquatic Adventure was a hit with both of them. The program, designed to balance the fun of summer with science, was perfect.
“They loved paddling around on the water all day,” says Debbie. “It was not just fun, it was educational.”
Debbie and David Hepler moved to West Windsor 20 years ago. “We liked the rural feel that it has, the community, and the location,” she says. They both worked in New York City and lived in Katonah and Pleasantville, New York, but didn’t really like the feel. Debbie, a former French teacher, worked for Lancome as a bilingual secretary. David now works in Somerville with a health care consulting company.
One highlight of the summer: A conservation project that “was a hands-on experience,” says Debbie. “They got into the water and got dirty and loved caring for the environment.”
#b#World Culture#/b#
Aniya Robertson of West Windsor attended the Bollywood program at the Arts Council of Princeton — and loved it. “Aniya really enjoyed the program — especially making her own costumes,” says Kimya, her mother. “She had a good time learning about the culture and how you’re supposed to dance.”
She has been attending classes at the arts council for two years. “Aniya wanted to take Bollywood last year to learn something different,” says Kimya. “It was the first time they offered it so we thought we would give it a try.” Aniya is returning to the Arts Council this summer. She will take Ceramic 3D to create her head in clay, theater workshop, and Bollywood.
Aniya practices gymnastics during the school year. She began studying gymnastics at Hamilton Stars five years ago. She now attends classes at World Cup in Freehold. Aniya has competed in Texas, Florida, and other states. During the summer she only does gymnastics one day a week.
The family moved from Freehold five years ago. Kimya works in marketing with AT&T, and her husband, Kevin, is a corrections officer at Fort Dix. Aniya is in fifth grade at Millstone River School. Her brother, Kyle, 5, is in kindergarten at Princeton Junior School.
“I drive her in and pick her up,” says Kimya. “Hopefully we can form a carpool this year.”
#b#Nature Camps#/b#
One family, two daughters, two camps. Mercer County Nature camps has a program for everyone. “Jenn Rogers puts together a fantastic program, and both girls had an amazing time,” says Kerry Kehler Yeh, their mother. “We’re definitely going to be attending again this year.”
Erin Yeh, a fifth grade student at Village School, attended the Aquatic Adventure camp. “She loved being on the water and kayaking as well as exploring the shoreline of Mercer Lake,” says Kerry Yeh. “They took water samples, learned about plants, and observed the birds and wildlife in the park.”
The water program is designed to balance the fun of summer with science. A pontoon boat serves as a floating classroom and the kayaks become vessels for explorations. Each camper is supplied with a kayak, personal flotation device, and a paddle to study freshwater ecology through birding, water sampling, fishing, and daily experiments. The program on July 30 to August 3 is for children in grades six to eight.
Erin’s younger sister, Emily, a first grade student at Maurice Hawk School, attended the county-sponsored Baldpate Nature Camp. “She really enjoyed just being outside all day long,” says Yeh. “She especially loved hiking along the trails and learning about the native plants, animals, and insects along the way.”
The foundation for each camp week focuses on hands-on nature explorations, science experiments, and unstructured nature play. Campers keep a nature journal to record their thoughts, explorations, and discoveries. Sessions begin July 9 for grades one to three; and July 13, for grades four to six.
Says Yeh: “Jenn Rogers really put together a wonderful program that kept the children engaged and left them with a better appreciation for the many treasures in their own backyard. The girls can’t wait to go back!”
Firehouse Gallery
The Firehouse Gallery’s art program was founded by Eric Gibbons in a decommissioned firehouse in Bordentown. An art teacher for more than 20 years, Gibbons learned that a school art program can be much more than crafty busy work. “I focus on problem solving through art,” says Gibbons. “I combine art with other subjects like history, geometry, science, literature, and more.”
“Creative problem solving or divergent thinking does not just make good artists, but great doctors, lawyers, managers, and CEOs,” he says. “Finding the cure for cancer or getting a man to Mars takes creative problem solving, and we do that daily here.”
Kate Salerno of West Windsor has been attending the Firehouse Gallery summer art classes for more than six years. She started in middle school and is now a senior at High School South. Salerno, who has not taken other art classes says, “it’s helped me grow as an artist and helped me develop unique art.”
Gibbons explains his approach: “I set up a problem, and the students solve it with the materials we provide. Sometimes the ideas are traditional and sometimes a bit wild.” He asked the students to create a helmet out of foil to protect their brains from alien invaders. They had to figure out what it would look like and what could be added to defend themselves.
The classes are morning, afternoon, or all day. “Families can choose what fits best into their schedule,” says Gibbons. Each week is a different theme, and there is Art Buffet, where every day is different.
A cello player since seventh grade, Salerno has been in South’s orchestra program for four years. “It was really great to play at Pearl Harbor with the orchestra,” she says. “My grandfather served in the Army during World War II.”
Salerno also is a goalie with Lightning Lacrosse, and she was recruited by Amherst College and will begin her freshman year there in the fall. Although her summer camps in Bordentown have ended, and even though her career plans now center on law, she plans to continue with art through private lessons. “Art is such a big part of my life and I will carry the experience with me my entire life.”
#b#Create Your Own#/b#
Sophia Azzara, 7, of West Windsor was very busy last summer. She was on the West Windsor Whalers swim team, took several of WW-P Community Education’s half-day programs (Cooking, Mad Science, Math as Art), Broadway Stars camp through Plainsboro Recreation, a multi-activity camp at the West Windsor Arts Council, and the county-sponsored Baldpate Nature Camp.
When the camp began two years ago Sophia was registered. “She loved it and we now schedule summer activities around those camp dates,” says her mother, Eileen. “What my husband and I love is that the camp is a good, old-fashioned, get-outside-and-explore camp. Sophia comes home dirty, tired, and happy. She’s caught her first fish there, dissected owl pellets, caught insects to feed a praying mantis, and created a recycled-materials nature journal.”
A former travel writer and publishing project manager, Eileen is currently a stay-at-home mom. Her husband, Anthony, is a principal scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb. The family moved to West Windsor in 2006.
Sophia also attended Baldpate Nature Camp’s “Natural Summer Adventure” through Mercer County Park Commission. “Our entire family has taken some of Mercer County family hikes with Jenn Rogers, the county naturalist, and we were so impressed with her knowledge and how she related to the kids,” says Eileen. “She keeps everyone engaged and having fun while also ensuring we understand how important it is to be respectful of our environment.”
Sophia is in second grade at Maurice Hawk School. During the year she is in Girl Scouts, gymnastics, piano, and an acting class at the West Windsor Arts Council. Her two younger brothers are Pip (Anthony), 4, and Ben, 2.
Sophia also likes that the activities are not typical, and they are very hands-on. She’s learned that in some situations she might be braver, less-grossed out, or even messier than the boys.
“The commute to Baldpate isn’t bad — about 20 to 25 minutes from West Windsor,” says Anthony. “The drop-off can be a little long (you have to walk up that hill), but the exercise is appreciated.”
“If you have a kid who enjoys being outdoors and loves interacting with the environment — and as long as you don’t mind doing a tick-check each night or listening to them practice their newly learned birdcalls, this is an excellent experience,” says Eileen. “My husband keeps requesting that they run a parents-only version of the camp.”
