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.
Friends Student Bring Fiddler On the Roof to the Stage
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Fiddler on the Roof. The musical, which was performed at the Vineyard Theatre, was directed by Steve Borowka. Click here for more pictures.
Attending to the Quaker Mission
The Faculty and Staff Faith and Practice Committee is in the process of reviewing the School’s 2008 Faith and Practice booklet. This type of document, common to all Quaker organizations, expresses the School’s aspirations in fulfilling its Quaker mission. When completed, the Committee will submit its recommendations to the Board of Trustees’s Faith and Practice Subcommittee.
The concept of equity has emerged as a major focus, reflecting broad societal changes that have occurred over the last 15 years. Director of the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice Kara Kutner explains, “Equality is used throughout the document, but we need to think more about equity and what it means to create a truly level playing field."
The Committee envisions a new digital version that maintains the booklet’s simplicity, but is more interactive and dynamic. For example, a digital document could connect equity to specific actions and programs, thereby providing additional context and meaning. Annah Heckman '15, Associate for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, explains, “[A refreshed document] should feel very familiar. We’re not looking to reinvent the wheel. We hope to create plain language that is accessible to even our fourth graders.”
As part of its work, the Committee reached out to students to review, refresh and generate news queries and to ensure nothing was overlooked. Annah comments, “This work has been especially joyful and rewarding for me and my colleagues.”
Day of Service
Friends Seminary held it's Annual Day of Service on April 26. From volunteer drivers who delivered over 1000 lunches and produce items to fridges all over the city with Grassroots Grocery, to tenth graders who helped prepare the lavender fields of Governors Island, to eighth graders who made meals for God’s Love We Deliver, the Friends community had nearly 1,000 people work with 9 nonprofits across 4 boroughs.
It is always wonderful to see our community putting its values into practice.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered
As part of their study of The United States Postal Service in Room 204, Grade 1 students simulate a postal system for the K-12 community. Students in Jennifer’s and Alexandra’s class learned about the U.S. Postal Service through different classroom activities. The project is the culmination of their work focused on this year’s theme, “Beyond Mad, Sad, and Glad,” in connection with building their social-emotional toolboxes, and guided by the Quaker value of stewardship. Using their critical service learning model of Empathy, Educate, Empower, Engage, the children learn about the postal system, social justice and equity through the lens of peace, then research, design and create commemorative stamps for the school postal system.
Making Connections in the Lower School
Pictured: Admissions Assistant, Sydney Greene
In honor of the Quaker testimony of the community, first graders in Jaja’s and Katherine’s class connected with Friends faculty and staff who have made a positive impact on them, the School, and future classmates. Groups of students selected a particular individual and developed a series of questions outlining what they do for the School. They created a poster presentation complete with graphics and photos before they eagerly presented their findings to their classmates and subjects. Through this project, students enhanced their interviewing, presentation, and listening skills. Community members they recognized include: Isabel Dominguez, Sydney Greene, Amelia Polton, Claudine Zamor, and the cafeteria staff.
Middle School Climate Action Day
On Friday, April 14, Grade 7 and Grade 8 students held a special Climate Action Day. Students were able to apply skills from their math and science classes to climate issues in our community. The day kicked off in the Meetinghouse with a keynote presentation on youth climate action and the science of climate change from former science teacher Conner Allen ’08. The students and teachers participated in activity sessions which included measuring the circumference of trees in Stuyvesant Square Park in order to calculate carbon uptake and sequestration, building models of the Annex redesigned as a passive solar structure, and analyzing the cost of electric versus gas vehicles in New York state.
Upper School Civil Rights Trip
Fifteen Upper School students in Grades 9-12 joined CPEJ leaders Vicky Orozco, Kara Kutner and Kirsti Peters on an experiential trip that focused on the struggle for civil rights in the American South. The week-long journey included stops in the cities of Memphis, Jackson and New Orleans. Students used the throughline of music to connect them to important themes in a new way, as they explored civil rights, social justice history and contemporary concepts in the American South.
Owl Sports Spotlight: Varsity Boys Volleyball
Varsity Volleyball held two practices last week to prepare for their matches against Packer and Berkeley Carroll. The Owls and Pelicans were an exciting matchup. The first two sets were back and forth and could have been anyone’s match, but Packer ran away with the third set to defeat Friends (16-25) (18-25) (12-25). Last Friday, the Owls faced Berkeley Carroll on their home court. Friends had a dominating performance and won in three sets! (25-16) (25-19) (25-23). This week, the team has three challenging matchups on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
For the most up-to-date sports news and MS coverage, follow Friends Athletics at www.instagram.com/friendsathletics for weekly team and senior features!
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