Friends Select School | Private Quaker School in Philadelphia

Select News

Sep 23 2021

On Saturday, October 9, from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m., take a small group tour of our Parkway Building’s transformed space during a special open house for Friends Select's extended community. Join us under a tent on the plaza at 17th Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway for live jazz and light refreshments, as our Parkway Building celebration continues!

Advance Friends Select: Transformation Campaign

Sep 16 2021

Friends Select recently unveiled our Parkway Building's dynamic new learning spaces in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration, as part of the Advance Friends Select: Transformation Campaign. Watch a video and see photos of the celebration and relive the excitement.

Meet the 2021-22 New Faculty and Staff

Aug 25 2021

Please join Friends Select in welcoming the newest employees to our community for the 2021-22 school year.

Pay-what-you-can Algebra classes in Spanish offered to Philly students. It’s a new summer program.

Jul 30 2021

Satoia Wright’s dream is to offer quality education to Black and brown students from underserved communities. This summer, she’s getting there.

Marking Five Years at Friends Select—and Wondering What the Next Five Will Hold

Jul 12 2021

When I came to Friends Select School five years ago, I knew an exciting challenge lay ahead of me.

Maia Weintraub ’21 Prepares for the Olympics

Jul 7 2021

Maia Weintraub’s busy summer started with her graduation from Friends Select School. A lifer who attended Friends Select for 14 years, Maia will attend Princeton University this fall. But first she will travel to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, as a member of the U.S. delegation for fencing.

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Alumni Stories

Abbe Stern ’08 providing meals to Afghan refugees at the Philadelphia International Airport

Abbe Stern ’08 has been doing incredible work providing meals to Afghan refugees at the Philadelphia International Airport. Abbe works for Too Good To Go, which helps to make use of restaurants' surplus food. Thank you Abbe and everyone working tirelessly to welcome and care for our neighbors.

Darien Headen ’11 Appointed Associate Head of Greene Street Friends

Darien Headen ’11 M.S.Ed. is lending his expertise as an educator to Quaker school leadership as the recently-appointed associate head of Greene Street Friends School.

My Friends Select Experience as a Black Student

Steve Lawrence ’81, Friends Select's national alumni board president, writes: "From day one, I was comfortable at Friends Select. I got along with my classmates and teachers. More importantly, the environment allowed me to adapt and evolve in a setting conducive to learning. But it was not my social life—far from it."

Black Alumni Reflecting on Their Experiences at Friends Select

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, Friends Select School has recommitted itself to seeking racial justice, teaching tolerance, and building an anti-racist community. Working with national alumni board president Steve Lawrence ’81 and director of equity and inclusion Toni Graves Williamson, Friends Select has been making concerted efforts to engage with and listen to Black alumni. Recently, Nyeema Caldwell ’20 and Cindy Harper Covington ’84 reflected on their experiences as Black students at Friends Select.

Alumni Helping Communities  Respond to COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, John Chin ’83 P’15, ’18 of Philadelphia’s Chinatown, Mike Fitts ’71 of Tulane University, and Wendell Pritchett ’84 of University of Pennsylvania all had a profound impact on their respective communities.