Friends Select’s Distinguished Guests During the 2022-23 School Year | News

Friends Select Expands and Deepens Its Presence at NAIS People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference

Numerous distinguished guests visited Friends Select School.

Throughout the 2022-23 school year, numerous distinguished guests visited Friends Select School to share their expertise and experiences with our community.

Distinguished guests included:

JUNE
Graduation Speaker: Amy Cohen '82
MAY
The 1619 Project Screening and Q&A: Shoshana Guy, Showrunner and Executive Producer Middle School Assembly: Beth Lincoln, Author, The Swifts
APRIL
Transformation Talk: Strategic Partnerships: Crafting a 21st-Century Education John Chin P’83, Executive Director, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) Melissa Levy ’91, Executive Director, Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Gerald Lopez P’31, ’34, Director of Operations and Business Development & Center Associate Director, University of Pennsylvania Singh Center for Nanotechnology Rachel Zimmerman ’85, Founding Executive Director, InLiquid Upper School Visiting Writer-in-Residence: Stephanie Kyung Sun Walters, Playwright Upper School Voter Registration Drive: Seth Bluestein, Philadelphia City Commissioner Upper School Assembly on the Legacy of Gamble + Huff: Caliph Gamble ’95, Cinematographer, Director, Editor, and Founder of Gamble Companies and the Sons of Legends Foundation Quakerism Panel Discussion Dwight Dunston, Hip-hop Artist, Activist, and Educator Dyresha Harris, Director, Catoctin Quaker Camp George Lakey, P’89, GP’27, Activist, Author Middle School Assembly: Dwight Dunston, Hip-hop artist, Activist, and Educator Upper School Engineering Course: Alanna C. Raffel, Assistive Technology Specialist, Pennsylvania Initiative on Assistive Technology Upper School Latin V Course: Vicki Landers, Founder & Executive Director, Disability Pride PA
MARCH
Social Justice Week Keynote Speakers Kurt Evans, Chef and Activist Rodney Glasgow, Head of School, Sandy Spring Friends School Zarinah Lomax, Artist, The Apologues Blanca Pacheco, Co-director, New Sanctuary Movement Asian American Experiences: Wei Chen, Civic Engagement Director, Asian Americans United, Co-founder of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance Pennsylvania (APIPA) Fariha Khan, Co-director, Asian American Studies Program, University of Pennsylvania Urvashi Pathania, Writer and Director Raquel Villanueva Dang and Taizu, Co-founders, Philly Solidarity Community and Police Relations Keir Bradford-Grey, Former Chief Public Defender for Philadelphia, and Current Partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP Kermit O, Community Organizer Christopher Rabb, Pennsylvania House Representative Drugs and Opioid Crisis Eriach Fox, Counselor, Spilove Psychotherapy Dr. Daniel Teixeira da Silva, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Dr. Annika Vaughn-Cooke, Psychiatrist, Jefferson University Hospital Food Insecurity: Abbe Stern, Food Pharmacy Manager of the Healthy Weight Food Pharmacy, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Immigration Reform Leslie Castrejon, Assistant Dean for Student Support and Belonging, Bryn Mawr College Joanne Gottesman, Director of Clinical Programs, Camden and Clinical Professor of Law, Rutgers University Indigenous Peoples’ Experiences Tailinh Agoyo, Co-founder and Director, We Are the Seeds of CultureTrust and Rise & Thrive Podcast Brianna D'Agostino, Speaker on Indigenous Religion Math and Social Justice Samantha Caiola, Gun Violence Prevention Reporter, WHYY David Holloman, Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services Media’s Role in Social Justice: Ernest Owens, Journalist and President, Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists Mental Health Eben Hilpert, Counselor, Arrive Therapy Emily Torchiana, Speaker About Mental Health and Social Media Mixed Tracks Karina Gutierrez-Noriega, Owner, Strategic Soul Achola Simkins, Instructor, Uprising ACM Studios Religious Identity and Discrimination Deborah Bowen, Rabbi, Congregation Temple Beth’El Eli Freedman, Rabbi Michelle Horton, Minister Aaron Rock-Singer, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison Cara Rock-Singer, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison Women in Power Melissa Gerber, President and CEO, Access Matters Sarah Podemski, Actor Transformation Talk: Creating and Educating a More Sustainable Philadelphia Rich Freeh, Green Building United Micah Gold-Markel ’95, Solar States Caroline Goodbody, Comcast Smart Solutions Nidhi Krishen, Philadelphia Office of Sustainability Wellness Program: The Anxiety Paradox: Why Helping Kids Feel Bad Can Help Them to Feel Good Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, Psychologist, Author, and Anxiety Researcher
JANUARY
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Family Experience 2023 Amanda McIllmurray, Democratic Candidate for City Council at-Large, Briannah Stoves, Youth Leader, Care, Not Control Jorian Rivera-Veintidos, Prevention and Education Manager, POP Program, GALAEI Ebony Ali, TINGS Program Coordinator, GALAEI MLK Teach-in Amplifying Voices of Indigenous People: Adam DePaul, Tribal Council Member, Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, and Storykeeper and Coordinator of the Rising Nation River Journey Apologues: Art and Advocacy: Zarinah Lomax, Artist, The Apologues Beyond the Bell Tours: Badass Women's History of Philadelphia: Joey Leroux, Co-founder, Beyond the Bell Tours Books Through Bars: Dr. Tom Haney, President, Books Through Bars Connecting The Dream to Reality:Michael Butler, Reporter, Miami Herald Continuing MLK's Legacy at North Philly Peace Park: Brother Tommy Joshua Caison, Founder and Executive Director, North Philly Peace Park Crown Them King: Reinterpreting a Legacy: Aaron Smith, Assistant Professor in the Department of Africology and African American Studies, Temple University Education Through the Lens of Social Justice: Darien Headen ’11, Associate Head of School, Greene Street Friends School Handball in Philadelphia: Emerald Martez, Founder, Urban Eminence Policing and Youth Violent Crime Rates: Jarreau Thomas, Inspector, Philadelphia Police Department Storytelling for Social Change: Reva Stover, Playwright, Director, and Producer Using Your Voice for Freedom: Marshall Mitchell, Pastor, Salem Baptist Church We Love Philly Podcast: Using Your Story to Inspire Action: Carlos Aponte, Founder and Executive Director, We Love Philly, Thayid Wilson, Graduate, We Love Philly
DECEMBER
Book Launch Party for White Fragility (Adapted for Young Adults): Why Understanding Racism Can Be So Hard for White People Ali Michael, Co-founder and Co-director, Race Institute for K-12 Educators Toni Graves Williamson, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Friends Select School
NOVEMBER
Concerts for Lower, Middle, and Upper School: People of Earth Indigenous Peoples Month Assembly: Chief David “Stands with Song” Hughes, Principal Chief, Eagle Medicine Band of Cherokee Indians Upper School History Class: Natasha Danielá de Lima McGlynn, Executive Director, Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia Upper School History, Current Events Course: Natasha McGlynn, Executive Director, Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia
OCTOBER
Upper School Assembly: Helen Gym, Philadelphia City Councilmember at-large Middle School Assembly: Kwame Alexander, Author Upper School Spanish Course: Samu Cortez, Mexican-American Artist Upper School Spanish Course: Perla Trevizo, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist
SEPTEMBER
Transformation Talk: Building for the Future: How to Create Lasting Equitable and Accessible Learning Spaces James Bradberry, Principal, James Bradberry Architects Helen Gym, Philadelphia City Councilmember at-large Nasheli J Ortiz González, Executive Director, Taller Puertorriqueño Kelly Richards, President and Director, Free Library of Philadelphia

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.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

From the Archives: Creating A Friends Select Docuseries

Friends Select School history was recently made with the production of our nine-part documentary series. Through archival footage, as well as interviews with alumni, faculty, and staff, A Friends Select Docuseries was meticulously crafted to honor pivotal moments in our school’s history and legacy.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024

ESF Becomes Friends Select’s New Summer Camp Partner

Friends Select School is embarking on a new partnership with ESF Camps & Experiences this summer. ESF will bring to Friends Select a premier collection of camps featuring over 60 fun-filled enrichment and character-building activities for students of all ages.

Where Next?

Lower School

Grades K-4

Middle School

Grades 5-8

Upper School

Grades 9-12