Jonathan Lai, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: Thursday, August 8, 2013, 1:07 AM

Grooving to the "Water Cycle Rap Song" and making bracelets in the Feelings room: Fun. Dancing to Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and playing musical chairs in the Respect room: Also fun. Making kites out of paper bags in the Smile room: Definitely fun.

But nothing beat the Happiness room for 6-year-old McKenna Nichols: "You make sun visors and you play with the balloons."

McKenna was one of 15 children from the summer reading program of Cooper Learning Center in Camden learning from 26 rising high school seniors in a two-week program at Rowan University's College of Education.

On Wednesday, teams of high school students put into action lesson plans they developed in the Rowan Urban Teacher Academy Program.

McKenna and her classmates rotated through five themed classrooms. Lessons were based on the children's book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. The young students carried buckets that they decorated and filled with crafts made at 20-minute stops at each station.

"I learned, be nice, don't be a bully, and happiness," McKenna said.

In the Happiness room, Teaunah Moulden, 17, said she had always felt the calling to be a teacher. The Rowan program gave her an opportunity to explore teaching students from an urban environment, to which she said she feels drawn.

"I'm very concerned about the shortage of teachers in the urban setting," said Moulden, who attends Woodstown High School in Salem County.

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High schoolers reach out to Camden youngsters