Description
Celebrating 35 years of Middle School Performing Arts Camp at Stuart! Join us as we venture Into the Woods! In honor of our 35th anniversary, actors will embrace the magic of outdoor theater with a special performance of Into the Woods, Jr. Our two-week co-ed camp will culminate in an unforgettable outdoor production on Friday, June 27, 2025, at 4:00 PM, hosted at Lainie’s House, the residence of Head of School Julia Wall. Rehearsals will be held on Stuart’s campus and at Lainie’s House, which is easily and safely accessible via the scenic Nature Trail. This unique experience combines the beauty of nature with the excitement of theater—don’t miss your chance to be part of the tradition and the magic! AUDITIONS will be held the week before camp begins. Ms. Silva will be in touch with you as soon as you have registered! This camp provides a morning snack and includes lunch for your camper.
Please note that Stuart will be closed on Thursday, June 19 in observation of Juneteenth.
Faculty Bios:
Jan Baldwin has been an arts educator and leader at Stuart for over 30 years. Over the years, Jan served on many committees including Curriculum development, Professional development, admissions liaison,social emotional learning inclusion, faculty culture, NCGL #leadlikeagirl. Ms. Baldwin has developed and taught leadership classes in Middle School.She has studied Leadership at NAIS and the Gardner Carney Leadership Institute. Ms. Baldwin is a Scholar at the Leadership Lab at the Gardner Carney Leadership Institute. As a faculty member of The National Center for Girls Leadership at Stuart, Ms. Baldwin has been a presenter at NJAIS, NCGS in Pasadena and the 2021 NCGS Virtual conference and #Leadlikeagirl conference for 3 years. Her presentations include teaching leadership through Advisory in Middle School and Creating Peer mentoring in Middle school at the National Coalition of Girls School conferences. Ms. Baldwin has also participated in conferences at the Institute for Social Emotional Learning, World Leadership School Purpose Summit, and NAIS Rising Heads leadership Seminar. As an adjunct professor at LaSalle University, Ms. Baldwin has taught Architecture and a survey course of Visual Art and Performing Arts history. She currently teaches classes in Public Speaking, Acting and Directing, Stagecraft and design, Comedy, Pop Culture, Cinematography and Architecture at Stuart. She is a member of the Actors Equity Association and a working Professional Actor and Singer. She is a solo performer with the Capital Singers of Trenton and has performed in over 20 Equity productions in the Philadelphia Area.She has directed 4 professional operas and over 80 plays and Musicals at Stuart. Ms. Baldwin holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre from Skidmore College, Cum Laude and a Masters of Arts in Education, with Distinction, from LaSalle University.
Kelsey Lewis joined Stuart's Middle and Upper School faculty in 2020 as music teacher, choral director, and music director for theatrical productions. In 2023, she joined Stuart's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) team as coordinator for the middle and upper school. Before joining Stuart, Kelsey began her career in music education at Cambridge School in Pennington NJ, where she nurtured music learning in a specialized setting for students with language based learning differences such as dyslexia and ADHD. From 2022-2023, Kelsey was a member of the Global Action Research Fellowship through the International Coalition of Girls' Schools. Her action research project focuses on methods of social emotional learning in the music classroom. Kelsey is an active member of professional organizations NAfME and ACDA and has presented her own research at national conferences. This year, she was invited to be a clinician at the 2024 Texas Music Educators conference in San Antonio. As a professional classical singer, Ms. Lewis is a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra Symphonic Choir and is also on artistic staff of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia. Past engagements include performances with Opera Philadelphia, Berlin Philharmonic, NY Philharmonic and Spoleto Festival USA. She holds a Master of Music degree with a concentration in pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton NJ.
Ms. Lewis' educational philosophy is grounded in the values of community, collaboration, and service. When we create performances together, we grow in empathy and understand the value of a product which is greater than the sum of its parts alone. Ms. Lewis aims to nurture an environment where students feel free to channel their inner creativity, connect in shared human experiences, and develop a lifelong love of music.
Jess Kosek ‘15 joined the Middle School English faculty in 2023, returning to the same English classroom where she had her first class at Stuart as a new sixth grader. After leaving Stuart, Jess studied classics at Kenyon College with minors in English and Italian. She received a Master of Arts from NYU in educational theater with dual certification for teaching theater and English. Most recently, Jess has been involved in supporting Stuart’s theatrical productions and taught English at East Side Community School in New York. We are excited to have Jess return to Stuart and share her passion for English and the Sacred Heart with our seventh and eighth graders where she will be teaching English and civics.
Heidi New joined the Stuart Country Day School community in 2024. She is not a stranger to Sacred Heart Education having spent five years teaching music to the K-8 students at Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart. She holds a Bachelor of Music in music education from Moravian College (now Moravian University) and was a representative for the Sacred Heart Network’s Aspiring Leaders Program over the past two years.
Jacqueline Silva joined Stuart as a Lower School drama and theology specialist in 2021. Jacqueline additionally serves as the Lower School leadership and service coordinator, and creates opportunities for students to learn about their unique qualities as leaders and how they can be used for the benefit of the community. She works with Lower, Middle, and Upper School students on various performing arts productions as a director and choreographer. When she is not at Stuart, she enjoys curling up with a good book, hiking with her dog Zid, and dancing up a storm in ballet, jazz, and tap class.