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Michael Gary Speaks

We continue to sustain our commitment to cross-cultural competency.

 

In December, more Friends Select faculty than ever before attended the People of Color Conference (PoCC)—the flagship diversity and equity professional development opportunity hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). This is a reflection of our growing diversity as a school, and perhaps more importantly, our pledge to become an antiracist school.

 


I am so proud of what we have accomplished together since we launched our strategic plan, Advance Friends Select.

 

Most visible have been the Blauvelt Theatre, the first-floor Parkway Building transformation, the rooftop athletic field, and the addition of the upper school STEAM Building. Our physical transformation continues this year with the redesign of the backlot and playground to become a multi-functional, interactive, outdoor play space that will be accessible to all Friends Select students, from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. 

We also added a director of city curriculum, a full-time director of equity and inclusion, Quaker coordinators, a director of lower school admissions, an advancement events coordinator, and a major gifts officer, to name a few. The endowment has grown and enrollment is just shy of an all-time high. 

We continue to sustain our commitment to cross-cultural competency and to becoming an antiracist institution. In December, more Friends Select faculty than ever before attended the People of Color Conference (PoCC)—the flagship diversity and equity professional development opportunity hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). This is a reflection of our growing diversity as a school, and perhaps more importantly, our pledge to become an antiracist school.

To elevate the attention Friends Select is giving to excellence in teaching and learning, we initiated our Transformation Talk series. The inaugural event, “Building for the Future: How to Create Lasting Equitable and Accessible Learning Spaces,” specifically addressed the important topic of how space impacts learning, highlighting the physical transformation that our school is currently experiencing. Good space allows for good teaching and learning, in so many ways. Given our enrollment growth and strategic vision, managing our limited but very valuable real estate in Center City warrants our attention. The Transformation Talk 
series also provides us an opportunity to further steward our powerful relationships with local thought leaders and city partners.

How do we know if we are delivering on our mission and our strategic goal of excellence in teaching and learning? How do or should we measure excellence? To gauge these and other elements of our strategic plan that are not as visible, our faculty and staff are collaborating to build a dashboard. In exercises that implement the Quaker concepts of community and continuing revelation, Friends Select educators are creating a system that will help us uphold our strategic goals and determine how we are delivering on our value and promise as a school. 
 

 

 

 

 

Sun, 10 Nov 2024

Michael Gary Speaks

With the start of another academic year, I am incredibly proud of all that we are able to accomplish at Friends Select School.

Sun, 10 Nov 2024

Incorporating Environmental Sustainability to Advance Friends Select

Friends Select School’s administration and board of trustees are augmenting the existing framework of its strategic plan, Advance Friends Select, to include initiatives that will emphasize the school’s dedication to environmental sustainability.

Thu, 29 Aug 2024

2024-25 New Employees List

Please join us in welcoming the following new employees to the Friends Select community:

Sun, 05 May 2024

Michael Gary Speaks Spring 2023

I am so proud of what we have accomplished together since we launched our strategic plan, Advance Friends Select.

Sun, 05 May 2024

Giving Back: Lon and Bonnie Greenberg GP’25, ’27

Former Friends Select grandparents and longtime supporters of the school, Lon and Bonnie Greenberg GP’25, ’27 recently made a significant contribution to create an endowment fund for SummerSessions, a facet of the Advance Friends Select: Transformation Campaign.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

Upper School Writer Program Thrives

To enrich the educational experience of upper school students and celebrate Philadelphia’s vibrant arts and culture, Friends Select School established the upper school Visiting Writer Program in 2019 with support from the John M. Dallam ’49 Endowed Fund. Each year, a distinguished Philadelphia-based writer is invited to engage with students and share their expertise, insight, and literary talent.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

Successfully Navigating the College Application Process as a Student-Athlete

For students interested in pursuing a collegiate athletic career, the college search and application process add layers of complexity. Balancing academic and athletic commitments requires foresight, careful planning, and a strategic approach.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

Students Participate in the Mayor’s African American Historic Statue Advisory Committee

Two Friends Select students had the privilege to serve on former Mayor Jim Kenney’s African American Historic Statue Advisory Committee convened by the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy (OACCE).

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

Students Lead Voter Registration Drive at Shackamaxon Powwow

Friends Select upper school students facilitated a voter registration drive last September at the Shackamaxon Powwow at Penn Treaty Park. Hosted annually by the Native American House Alliance (NAHA)—a nonprofit organization that supports family, housing, and employment services to the local Native American community—the Shackamaxon Powwow honors Lenape culture and heritage.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

Michael Gary Speaks Spring 2024

Watching and reading the news about boards of education at various levels throughout the United States purposefully censoring books and altering curricula to fit their political ideology, I am grateful to be an educator at Friends Select School.

 

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