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The doors opened at Friends Select @ 1700 in September – and the new space is drawing rave reviews from students, faculty and families. Fresh. New. Light filled. Beautifully equipped. Comfortable. Glowing adjectives abound as community members visit the new classroom and art studios for the first time. Take a tour and see for yourself.
Friends Select@1700 is an art teacher’s dream come true. Bright white walls supply new gallery space, a graphics lab is equipped with new computers, and a book-lined office/seminar room doubles as quiet meeting space. “The best part,” says upper school art teacher Lynda Greenwade, “is having one room dedicated to two-dimensional art, another for metalsmithing and sculpture, and yet another for machines used for casting, polishing and turning.”
The new space also houses the upper school history department. Teacher Stephen Rawls describes the classrooms that look out on Race Street as a "delightful and striking renovation."
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A parking spot in the school lot was transformed into a green oasis, replete with potted plants and a park bench on Friday, September 17. Students from Betsy Lamitina’s and Hal Morra’s fourth grade classes set up the temporary installation, as part of Park(ing) Day, a global initiative designed to raise awareness of the need to create more green spaces in cities.
Park(ing) Day from Friends Select School on Vimeo.
The now international project began in 2005 when a design studio converted a single metered parking space into a pint-sized public park in downtown San Francisco. Since then, it has become an annual event in which people create tiny, short-term parks in urban environments around the world. The overall aim of the event, as stated on its Web site, is to “promote creativity, civic engagement, critical thinking, unscripted social interactions, generosity and play.” Based on the smiles and questions as people passed by the FSS minipark, the fourth grade version was a success.
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The International Studies Program at Friends Select School kicked off the 2010-2011 Live@Lunch! series on September 16, with Minas, a Brazilian band known for its impressive grasp of Brazilian musical idioms. Minas performed at the Matthew H. Huffman '91 Dining Hall from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., to an audience of middle and upper school students, faculty and staff.
Brazilian Band Minas at Live at Lunch from Friends Select School on Vimeo.
Coming Up:
Wednesday, October 20, West Philadelphia Orchestra
Eastern European folk music traditions with a 21st century twist
Wednesday, November 3, jazz pianist Dave Posmontier & Friends
International musical styles, from Irish to Klezmer
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Starting this fall, some of the produce served in the Matthew H. Huffman ’91 Dining Hall will be from local farms, thanks to the school’s new association with the Common Market. The Common Market is a wholesale consolidator, marketer and distributor of food produced within 150 miles of Philadelphia. By creating a link between local farmers and the urban marketplace, the Common Market supports area farmers and makes local food more affordable and accessible to wholesale purchasers.
“Most of the produce from Common Market is seasonal, and supplies can be variable,” says Tom Smith, the Metz Co. manager of the school’s dining facilities. “But I am pleased that our association with the coop will help us establish closer relationships with local food producers, a goal we’ve been working toward for some time.”
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The Now and Then Map, formally presented at a lower school assembly on September 24, is the culmination of last year’s fourth grade study of cartography and the city of Philadelphia. Students who worked on the map were inducted into the newly formed Friends Select Geography and Cartography Society. The year-long course of study was developed by teachers Paula Cairo, Lynda Greenwade, Betsy Lamitina and Hal Morra. During the year, students looked at historical maps, learned the lexicology of maps, heard from speakers during Map Week, designed compass roses, conducted research about Philadelphia and mapped a city block.
They also put on tour guide hats to describe their favorite places in Philadelphia from two distinct perspectives: One side of the map lists places “you would have wanted to visit if you were 12 in 1836,” describing and showing nine locations on a vintage map. The flip side lists current favorite destinations for the 12-and-under-crowd, including perennial favorites, such as Chinatown, City Hall, the Liberty Bell, and Love Park…and even listing “Cheesesteak” as a non-specific location. The graphic design was done by parent Julia Colton. Matt Saline, also a parent, was responsible for having the project printed. Designer Joel Katz allowed the school to use the city map graphic.
The school’s resident map expert, Lynda Greenwade (also director of special programs and cultural outreach), worked with the fourth graders. Greenwade received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 2009 for in-depth study of cartography at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Asked what people can learn from maps, she responded:
Maps teach us where we are going and where we have been. They engage and pull us into our many worlds. Maps can be art and literature, as well as science and math. Looking at early maps of Philadelphia, students can compare and contrast how life was in 1836 and how it is now in 2010. Maps tell us stories and leave echoes of the culture and time they are created for. William Penn's city plan of 1683 is almost the same city plan of today. The students found many differences, as well as many similarities. The best part was finding that Friends Select was on both maps!
Paula Cairo, lower school librarian, helped guide the students’ research, offering this analogy:
Research is like travel. Iif you want to have a really good trip, you have to plan it. Get organized: Decide where you want to go; line up the questions you need to ask; and find out as much as you can before you start out. Consult some reputable authorities. Then gather up all your information and do it your way! Make it a great trip and have fun.
A map was sent home with each student in the lower school last week. An exhibit about the project is currently on display in Select Gallery. The map curriculum is being used again with this year’s current fourth grade.
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Welcome to a greener Philadelphia.
Bicycle taxi company VeloParkCabs hit the streets of Center City, Northern Liberties and the Art Museum area on July 1—and Friends Select was on board.
“If I had a dollar for every smile I get, I wouldn’t have to charge fare,” said Ronn Ash, company president, on a recent jaunt down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Ash said this while pedaling two passengers in a “Friends Select” pedi-cab emblazoned with the name of the school and the tagline, “Educating Children in Center City since 1689.” Friends Select was one of the company’s first advertisers, an opportunity made possible through the school’s affiliation with the Parkway Council Foundation. Advertising on the cab will run through October.
Ash’s eco-friendly fleet currently operates from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on specially designated city streets. The cabs, which are enclosed, hold two to four passengers in the back seat. Cost is $1.00 per person, per block, with a $5.00 minimum.
Velo- or pedi-cab services are available in 17 countries and a handful of American cities, including San Francisco. They are designed to combat traffic congestion, alleviate parking problems, eliminate emission damage, and combat ever-rising gas prices. Friends Select First Off the Block with Velo-Cab from Friends Select School on Vimeo.
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