The Signature Experience at Peddie

Express yourself. You're creative: on the stage, on the canvas, on your musical instrument of choice. Explore your passion for music, theater or visual arts with the Arts Signature Experience.

As part of the larger Signature Experience at Peddie, the arts department encourages selected students to develop their passions for music, drama or visual arts through a sequence of elective classes and extracurricular activities. These culminate in a public performance or exhibition in their senior year.

Inspired by field trips to museums, concert halls and theaters as well as by visiting arts professionals, these young artists broaden their academic studies at Peddie with original, independent work in their chosen discipline or medium. All artists in the Arts Signature Experience, regardless of area of study, will participate in visiting artists' workshops, attend off-campus events in their chosen field and enroll in at least one summer program.

 A truly global education. Immerse yourself in Asian culture with the Asian Studies Signature Experience.

Eastern culture is explored through a powerful combination of in-classroom and out-of-classroom experiences. Students achieve proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and take electives focusing on the history, culture, religion and politics of China, India, Japan and more. Students have the opportunity to travel to an Asian country and conduct an independent research project based on that experience.

Students in the Computer Science Signature Experience must pass the AP computer science A exam as a prerequisite and most students complete the algorithms and data structures course or have previously taken computer science classes.

Signature Experience in Computer Science students must have teachers' recommendations, be able to successfully conduct research on their own and be self-motivated. Students completing the CS Signature Experience will spend six to eight weeks on an internship during the summer.

In the Creative Writing Signature Experience, students read, discuss, write, listen, speak ... then revise and repeat.

You have a passion for writing. Whether you want to write novels, short stories, poetry, plays or creative nonfiction, the Creative Writing Signature Experience at Peddie will help you develop that passion. Inspired by extraordinary electives, visiting writers, trips on the Culture Bus and dedicated faculty advisors, you'll broaden your academic studies with original, independent creative writing.

In a class designed specifically for this experience, students review and practice basic storytelling elements that appear throughout short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and dialogue. From there, they generate and workshop pieces while sharpening structure, voice, narration and description skills.

Meet visiting authors and participate in workshops. Enroll in summer programs to enrich your studies. Take leadership roles in Creative Writing Club and in the publication of the Amphion, Peddie’s art and literary magazine. Submit your work for publication, both in the Amphion and in off-campus contests and publications. Share your work with peers at coffeehouses and other readings. Your final Capstone Project will leave you with a strong portfolio of written work.

The goal of the Modern Language Signature program is to enable our best and most motivated language students to enhance their language experience through a sequence of enrichment classes and extracurricular activities, culminating in a public presentation or exhibition in the senior year.

Signature Experience participants will be able to explore language and culture beyond the classroom through field trips, projects, research, enrichment courses and travel abroad. They will also deepen and broaden their language skills at Peddie with independent work in their chosen language: French, Latin or Spanish. Projects and immersive travel programs can take place during the school year, during vacations or over the summer.

Researching child development, genetic mutations or computer programming in a professional laboratory setting is far from the standard high school science experience. The Research Science Signature Experience (also known as STEM-EXP) will immerse you in a world of independent research, analysis and exploration, help you develop your passion for scientific research and perhaps inspire career exploration in science-related fields.

As a STEM-EXP student, you'll go beyond the textbook to develop the intellectual curiosity and personal courage that comes from working in a research lab, become an “expert” in a specific area and enjoy the confidence that comes with such knowledge. Starting in your junior year, you'll enroll in a course that will introduce you to scientific literature, lab expectations and common laboratory techniques. With help from faculty, you'll apply for summer internships in professional laboratories and research facilities. In the fall of your senior year, you'll present your research at Peddie and act as a peer mentor to new students in the program.

The Summer Signature Experience is a design-your-own summer opportunity.

Students spend fall and spring terms of their junior year researching areas of interest to solidify an opportunity — either an internship or self-designed project — during the following summer. The research and planning are conducted in a course called advanced research symposium. Students also learn data analysis skills and professional communication in this course.

After engaging in their opportunity of choice during the summer, students return to campus in the fall and present their findings to their peers.