Gymnast Comes Out Of Her Shell With Moorestown FEP

MOORESTOWN, NJ — McKenzie Curry recently received the Monique Begg certificate of Merit for her service to the Moorestown Friends Enrichment Program (FEP). She was honored after leading the FEP girls gymnastics team in the annual FEP Music and Dance Medley two years in a row. This year, she also played a number of solos on her clarinet after the audience cheered for a number of encores.

But she wasn’t always the outgoing leader she is today. When she first joined the FEP Sunday afternoon program of children’s activities in the fall of 2017, she was a shy, self-effacing 10-year-old fifth-grader who had yet to grow wings, Begg said.

She soon discovered that gymnastics and warm-ups and stretches were right up her alley. For weeks on end, she worked with girls as young as six and as old as 15, helping them prepare for team’s performance in the annual Music and Dance Medley in the Dining Hall/Commons of Moorestown Friends School.

Yet, early in 2018, after weeks of practice, when a slightly older girl who rarely attended FEP activities showed up and boldly asserted herself as the new leader of the team, Curry stepped back. The following Sunday, McKenzie was back in charge when the older girl didn’t return. Afterward, she remained the undisputed leader of the team.

Two months ago, she wrote FEP a letter in which she expressed her appreciation to FEP. She wrote:
“The reason I love going to this program is because we learn so much there, like sometimes Mrs. Begg reads books to us, or she tells us about her childhood and how things were, growing up for her. Every time we go there, we learn like 10 new things. One of the most fun parts of FEP for me was that my friends and I would teach everybody stretches and it was fun being a leader. The most important part of FEP is that you learn leadership skills and have to take charge when it’s needed most and you learn to be responsible.”

She expressed her gratitude to FEP for sending her to summer camp and added, “I am so grateful. I couldn’t have come all this way without the Program. I went from being a shy, back-row girl to a strong leader that can take charge. Thank you for this opportunity.”

As of now, Curry has completed 68 hours of community service to FEP as a counselor-in-training, an unmatched FEP record. She received her award during a special FEP meeting, which included a celebration of her achievement, she was awarded the Monique Begg certificate of Merit for her service to FEP.

Her name is now engraved on a plaque that hangs on a wall of the Moorestown Friends Meeting library. Her mother, Genise Curry, was present, so was Moorestown Township Deputy Mayor Nicole Gillespie, were other people who know Curry and applaud her efforts.