From a CPEJ-sponsored trip to supporting local Chinese restaurants, the Friends campus is buzzing with activity! To view more photos of campus events, visit the School's website, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
Holiday Assembly
On December 16, the Friends community gathered for the annual Holiday Assembly in the Meetinghouse. The assembly began with the traditional lighting of a candle by the oldest student and youngest student at Friends, and was followed by a joyous afternoon of singing songs together. Click here to view more photos.
Trustee and Friends Alum Mark Doty ’86 Leads Upper School Assembly
On December 2, Friends Alum and Trustee Mark Doty ’86 spoke to Upper School students about his experience with Meeting for Worship as a student at Friends as well as his continued practice of Meeting as a leader at another Quaker school here in NYC.
CPEJ Hosts Conversation with Professor James Booth, Deputy Chair of the Earth and Atmospheric Science Department at The City College of New York
The Center for Peace, Equity and Justice, in collaboration with the Science Department, hosted a conversation titled, The Real World Effects of Climate Change - Climate, Weather and the Difference. Led by Professor James Booth, Deputy Chair of the Earth and Atmospheric Science Department at The City College of New York, students examined the difference between climate and weather, and how they can be better advocates for the environment. Booth, a climate scientist, researches hazardous weather that impacts NYC. He has helped the NYC Emergency Management office in its creation of communication tools on climate change preparedness. Additionally, he has co-authored chapters in reports by the NYC Panel on Climate Change, has worked with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in NYC, and with NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in Princeton, NJ.
Alumni/Senior Career Panels
For the first time since 2019, Alumni-Senior Career Panels returned in-person. Grade 12 students had the opportunity to hear from alums working in the Arts, Business, Law and Psychology. Special thanks go to the alumni panelists: Sam Cammer ’08, Julie Cantor ’05, Lauren Cardonsky Gretina ’93, Eitan Darwish ’17, Evan Pazner ’95, Rebecca Press ’98, Deborah Rand ’61, Lee Shapiro ’91 and Jennifer Udell ’81.
Upper School Lobbyists Advocate for Environmental Justice Policies
During the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Lobbying Weekend Friends students and the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice collaborated with more than 100 Quakers from across the country who came together to lobby congressional offices for environmental justice policies. The Institute, which took place November 16-18, 2022, students were able to hear from a number of guest speakers such as Chris Espinosa, House Natural Resources Committee, Anthony Kinslow, CEO and founder of Gemini Energy Solutions and lecturer at Stanford University, LaTricea D. Adams, Founder, CEO and President, Black Millennials for Flint. In addition to plenary sessions, students and CPEJ staff had the opportunity to participate in a variety of breakout workshops. All were designed to equip participants to be effective lobbyists and advocates for a healthier environment. The student lobbyists’ final appointments on Friday, when they met with staff from the offices of Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand, were a testament to just how much our students had gained from this training sponsored by the largest Quaker lobbyist organization, Friends Committee on National Legislation. Over the last four years, Friends Seminary has worked to strengthen this aspect of our civic engagement programming. Whether it be through in-school lobbying workshops and phone banking, Service Committee letter-writing campaigns, the CPEJ-sponsored trips to Albany, or the collaborations with FCNL on Capitol Hill in D.C., Friends Seminary students are finding their voices as lobbyists and using their capacity to call for changes to public policy that would help bring about a world that ought to be.
2022 SLDC/POCC Conference
Friends Upper Schoolers and the DEB team, led by Kirsti Peters and Vicky Orozco, attended the NAIS: Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in San Antonio, Texas from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3! Student attendees are involved with or lead Culture Clubs, Service Committee, StuFac, DEB Committee, and Affinity Spaces at Friends. SDLC provided an opportunity for them to connect with other Upper School student leaders from across the U.S. and abroad. Throughout the conference, students had opportunities for self-reflection, affinity spaces, and community building. On the last day of the conference, Friends students facilitated a dialogue for some of our adult attendees, and collaborated on ways to implement what they learned at SDLC into the Friends curriculum, culture, and community.
Julian ‘23 shared his reflection: “I greatly enjoyed my time at SDLC in San Antonio. Going into the conference, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. But coming out of the experience, I know that my life, friendships, and leadership skills were greatly impacted. I made friendships with people from around the country who I know will look out for me in the future. I learned about the different aspects of our identity, known as the Core Cultural Identifiers, which included age, ability, race, socioeconomic status, and others. And heard from amazing speakers such as Amanda Nguyen and Mariana Atencio who taught us about the power of our voice and action. I know that I will take back the things I learned at SDLC to Friends and beyond.”
At the conclusion of each session, the group gathered for dinner and reflection, allowing participants to share their personal experience and uplift one another. Attendees will share what they learned with other members of the DEB Committee, as well as with the larger Friends Committee. The DEB team hopes to continue this tradition of taking students and adults to SDLC/PoCC in the years to come!
Quaker Education for All
On Tuesday, November 15 parents, faculty, and staff attended Quakerism 101 in the Meetinghouse. Drew Smith, the Executive Director of the Friends Council on Education, led an interactive conversation about Quaker beliefs and practices and discussed the role of Meeting for Worship. Kara Kutner, recently appointed Director of the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice, said, “We all learned more about Quaker education and the School’s mission and commitment to Quaker values.” Click here or on the embedded video below to watch the recording.
Grade 6 Students Visit So Do Fun
On Monday, November 21, Chinese language students in Lin Laoshi's Grade 6 class had the opportunity to visit So Do Fun, a local restaurant, and make Sichuan style wontons, called 抄手 chǎoshǒu. Not only did students learn to make 抄手 they also got to taste the fruits of their labor! Each student then completed a recipe worksheet and are looking forward to trying out the recipe at home!
Fall Vocal and Orchestra Concert
Upper School musicians performed in the Great Room during the Fall Vocal and Orchestra Concert. View more photos at www.friendsseminaryphotos.com/Fall2022Concert.
Performing Arts
Upper School students performed "The Tempest" at The Baruch Performing Arts Center. Directed by teacher Steve Borowka, the fall play was an immersive experience for audience members as the actors utilized the full venue. To view more photos click here.
Friends Athletics
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