The purpose of the Friends Select School Alumni Association is to build and sustain a lifelong relationship between the school and our alumni.
Whether you were here for just a year or many, our alumni are lifetime members of the Friends Select family.
Alumni are encouraged to use this section of our website to stay up to date on alumni activities and news, and remain connected with our community.
Julia Greenberger
Director of Alumni Relations
juliag@friends-select.org
Toni Graves Williamson, Friends Select's director of equity and inclusion, writes: "In a year when we are figuring out how our educational program adjusts to the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have to remember that our country is also suffering from another pandemic—the pandemic of racism. What is our culpability?"
Being in community is a truly distinct value of Friends Select that has been strengthened throughout this unique school year.
After Friends Select students and employees made the successful transition from in-person learning to iSelectLearning in the spring of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began, the school’s administration began drafting a plan for reopening the building for the 2020-21 academic year.
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."
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.
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.
![Cultivating Our Garden: Working to Uphold Racial Justice]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1619108931/friendsselect/toniq1z40xxlmx6mxcsy/toni.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1619108931/friendsselect/toniq1z40xxlmx6mxcsy/toni.jpg","width":300}])
![Michael Gary Speaks]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1619108404/friendsselect/ksiq8smhd1kmfdeet0ih/b-Micheal-Gary.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1619108404/friendsselect/ksiq8smhd1kmfdeet0ih/b-Micheal-Gary.jpg","width":300}])
![Returning to Friends Select School: Health, Safety, and Community Stewardship]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1619108053/friendsselect/fs6fsgcopudjh2nxcjs5/full-Safety-photo.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1619108053/friendsselect/fs6fsgcopudjh2nxcjs5/full-Safety-photo.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1619108053/friendsselect/fs6fsgcopudjh2nxcjs5/full-Safety-photo.jpg","width":800}])
![My Friends Select Experience as a Black Student]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1619109148/friendsselect/r8usms02rblsvkqcd5vz/b-SteveL.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1619109148/friendsselect/r8usms02rblsvkqcd5vz/b-SteveL.jpg","width":300}])
![Black Alumni Reflecting on Their Experiences at Friends Select]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1618926034/friendsselect/vbpyl9ybi1le6wc3cbpt/NyeemaCaldwell.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1618926034/friendsselect/vbpyl9ybi1le6wc3cbpt/NyeemaCaldwell.jpg","width":300}])
![Alumni Helping Communities
Respond to COVID-19]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1611847259/friendsselect/v1asrmceogibdb4ilc06/MikeWindow_2.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1611847259/friendsselect/v1asrmceogibdb4ilc06/MikeWindow_2.jpg","width":500}])