Inaugural Falcon Fest Soars
On October 17, Friends Select students, faculty, and staff |
celebrated the inaugural Falcon Fest, an event designed to cultivate community and school spirit across all grade levels. |
Organized by the Family Association’s leadership team, in collaboration with advancement events coordinator and admission associate Pamela McCabe and athletic director Bill Klose P’21, ’25, Falcon Fest marked a new tradition at FSS.
The inaugural Falcon Fest was a vision of Family Association co-president Meena Shah P’27, ’30 and Falcon Fest chairperson Mara Hobbs P’33, ’35, who were inspired
by cherished memories of their own childhood field day events. “When I look back on my elementary school years, some of the most fun and thrilling days were field days,” Mara said. “Field day was always a proud day for our school when I was growing up, and I wanted the kids at FSS to enjoy such a day too. It’s a thrilling day of teamwork, healthy competition, and good sportsmanship!”
Falcon Fest was intended to ignite school spirit and foster community through friendly competition, offering a day of fun-filled activities for students from pre-K through 12th grade. Classes were paused as the entire school divided into two teams; students with odd-numbered graduation years were team Brown, and students with even graduation years were team Gold. The teams participated in a variety of challenges, from sack races and three-legged races on the Parkway Building’s rooftop athletic field to a scavenger hunt. This year’s Falcon Fest winner was team Brown!
Faculty and staff also joined in the festivities, going head-to-head with upper school students in a “peace pull,” Friends Select’s Quaker spin on a “tug-of-war.” The day ran seamlessly thanks to the support of more than 50 parent volunteers who contributed their time. “The idea behind Falcon Fest was to create a new tradition that brings the entire Friends Select community together in a fun and engaging way,” explained Pam. “We wanted students—from our youngest pre-K learners to our oldest upper schoolers—to connect, compete, and celebrate their shared FSS pride.”
Falcon Fest also incorporated a meaningful service com-ponent, with the upper school day of service offering older students the choice to participate in off-campus service projects or volunteer to assist their younger peers during the day’s festivities. This approach provided an opportunity for older students to engage in ways that resonated with them, either by giving back to the broader community or by mentoring and supporting younger students. The integration of service highlighted Friends Select’s values while fostering a spirit of connection across the school community.
The event was paired with Friends Select’s annual day of giving, held each year to garner support for the Friends Select Fund on the school mascot’s birthday. This timing allowed the school to leverage the energy and excitement of Falcon Fest to boost morale and engagement within the broader alumni community. “We were really hoping that by having Falcon Fest happen on our day of giving, we could capture that sense of school pride and translate it into participation within our alumni community,” explained Molly Mullahy P’33, director of the Friends Select Fund and constituent engagement. And that’s exactly what happened, as the videos, photos, and social media posts showcasing the joyful festivities inspired alumni, former teachers, and families to support FSS, raising over $100,000 for the Friends Select Fund.
With the success of its debut, Falcon Fest is already being hailed as a new cornerstone of Friends Select’s culture. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, with many describing it as “the best day ever.” The hope is that this excitement and sense of community will remain with students throughout their years as FSS, as Falcon Fest continues to grow. “In terms of the lasting impact, we hope this event strengthens the relationship the students have with the school, and that they bring this energy home so their families feel those relationships strengthen as well,” Meena said. “As students graduate, we hope they recall these kinds of
events with fondness and that it contributes to strong alumni relationships with the school.”
