Eligibility | Placement Schools | How to Apply | FAQ
The New Jersey SEEDS Scholars Program is a tuition-free enrichment program designed to prepare 8th-grade students for 9th-grade placement at an academically rigorous day or boarding school. Over a 14-month period, students take classes on Saturdays and participate in two summer residential programs.
The Scholars Program nurtures a student’s critical thinking skills, love of learning, and self-confidence. In addition, the Scholars Program seeks to ensure that each child is admitted to an independent school.
Scholars Program Curriculum Components:
Summer Challenge Program (SCP), open to approximately 125 New Jersey students each year, is a three-week residential program held on the campus of The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The program consists of daily classes in core subjects and electives.
Leadership Retreat follows SCP and is held at the Princeton-Blairstown Center in Blairstown, New Jersey. Students engage in outdoor activities designed to promote teamwork, group cooperation, and communication skills. Activities include hiking, camping, rope courses, dam rappelling, and canoeing.
Scholars Academy Saturdays (SAS), sponsored by The Coach Foundation, is the second phase of the SEEDS Scholars Program. Approximately 95 students who have successfully completed SCP are admitted into SAS. These students attend Saturday classes throughout the academic year and participate in retreats, workshops and other activities. Students also prepare for the Secondary School Admissions Test (the placement exam for private high schools), visit independent schools and complete their applications.
The Capstone Experience (Capstone), held the summer after 8th grade, is a second three-week residential program held on the campus of The Hill School. Scholars take academic classes and participate in leadership development workshops. This second residential experience helps to prepare our students for their transition to independent school life.
We are grateful to the following corporations and foundations for their support of the Scholars Program in FY12: The Coach Foundation; Colgate-Palmolive Company; Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Inc.; F.M. Kirby Foundation; Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation; Henry S. & Agnes M. Truzack Foundation: J. Seward Johnson, Sr. Charitable Trust; Jockey Hollow Foundation; John S. Scurci Foundation; Lucy and Eleanor S. Upton Charitable Foundation; Page & Otto Marx, Jr. Foundation;
Piper Sutton Foundation; PNC Foundation; Provident Bank Foundation; Ralph Cestone Foundation; and Victoria Foundation.
"Starting with my first SEEDS experience on a college campus, CPP opened opportunities for me that I didn't know existed. It gave me the ability to think outside the box. It even introduced me to the CEOs of major companies. These experiences made me realize that I too want to be in the business world. When I came to this country 10 years ago, I was placed in ESL classes. Now, I am in the Honors Business Program at the University of Hartford."