Select News
Get the latest updates and news from Friends Select School. |
Stay informed about school events, achievements, announcements, and community highlights. |
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Wed, 20 Nov 2024Integrating Green Spaces into Our Educational Curriculum
Philadelphia’s diverse green spaces are thoughtfully woven into programming at Friends Select School, providing students with hands-on learning experiences that leverage the natural environment for educational enrichment.
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Tue, 19 Nov 2024Making Major Strides as We Advance Friends Select
As the school looks to a future that includes continued increases in enrollment and plans for a monumental transformation of the Parkway Building’s back lot, updates to Advance Friends Select ensure the school remains at the forefront of educational and institutional excellence.
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Tue, 19 Nov 2024Above Board: Lessons in Stewardship
With the feedback and support of the Sustainability committee and the administration, Friends Select's board of trustees enthusiastically and wholeheartedly approved the addition of Environmental Sustainability as the fifth pillar to Advance Friends Select this year.
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Mon, 18 Nov 2024Deepening the Alumni Experience: Q&A with Martha & Ben
Earlier this year, Martha Eisenberg ’85, P’22, ’24 and Ben Behrend ’12 became co-presidents of Friends Select’s Alumni Association.
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Sun, 17 Nov 2024Caring for Our Community: In Conversation with Recently Hired Employees
In the past four years, Friends Select has welcomed many remarkable employees who embody the school’s commitment to excellence in teaching and learning and dedication to its students and alumni.
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Thu, 14 Nov 2024Giving Back: The Squires Family
When Fred and Stephanie Squires P’22 enrolled their daughters, Amelia and Madeline, in Friends Select School for kindergarten, they started a thoughtful tradition that was rooted in their family’s values.
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Thu, 14 Nov 2024Giving Back: Max Berger ’73
As I reflect over 50 years to graduation, and the previous seven years while a student at Friends Select School, I see the foundation—though not fully recognized at the time—that grew to form the person I have become.
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Sun, 10 Nov 2024Giving Back: The Pancoe Family
Craig Pancoe and Deborra Sines Pancoe P’95, ’01, ’05 have witnessed the transformative power of Friends Select School in many ways.
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Sun, 10 Nov 2024Michael 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.
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Sun, 10 Nov 2024Incorporating 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.
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Sat, 09 Nov 2024Giving Back: Harold and Linda Yaffe GP’34
For the three years that our granddaughter has flourished at Friends Select, we have become acutely aware that the school must be supported so that it can continue to offer the finest education and environment for all of its students to succeed and compete in today’s world.
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Thu, 29 Aug 20242024-25 New Employees List
Please join us in welcoming the following new employees to the Friends Select community:
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Sun, 05 May 2024Michael Gary Speaks Spring 2023
I am so proud of what we have accomplished together since we launched our strategic plan, Advance Friends Select.
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Sun, 05 May 2024Giving 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.
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024Upper 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.
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024Successfully 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.
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024Students 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).
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024Students 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.
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024Michael 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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Tue, 30 Apr 2024From 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.
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024ESF 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.
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024Dedicated Alumni Return as Coaches
Familiar faces that once walked Friends Select’s hallways as students are now on the sidelines at athletic games and practices, shaping the next generation of Falcons. A surge in the number of alumni coaches in recent years highlights the school’s commitment to alumni outreach and brings invaluable benefits to current student-athletes.
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Tue, 30 Apr 2024
Above Board: Doing Hard Things...Together
Sometimes, as clerk of Friends Select’s board of trustees, I get caught in the trap of thinking I have to figure something out on my own. But when I remember that this is a false narrative and I reach out to a fellow board member or ask a committee or the whole board to bring their wisdom and experience to the table, I get re-energized and together we create a solution to the problem at hand.
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Thu, 23 Nov 2023Giving Back: Jim Wong ’73
In deciding where to donate money among the numerous and various academic institutions that have been a part of our family’s life, an overriding factor has been where it can make the most impact and difference.
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Tue, 14 Nov 2023Varsity Boys Basketball Team Dominates
With an impressive final overall record, a captain who reached the 1,000-point milestone, and a win against a Friends Schools League (FSL) powerhouse, the Friends Select varsity boys basketball team had a storybook 2022–23 season.
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Tue, 14 Nov 2023
Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape: A Q&A with Author Amy Cohen ’82
Amy Cohen’s first book, Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape: Deep Roots, Continuing Legacy, was recently published by Temple University Press.
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Tue, 14 Nov 2023Awards
Read about the recipients of Friends Select's 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award, Athletic Hall of Fame, and Distinguished Teaching Award.
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Fri, 10 Nov 2023From the Archives: Reflecting on Our Outdoor Spaces
As I admired the marvelous designs of what we hope will become Friends Select’s new backlot playscape, I reflected on how the school has adapted its outdoor spaces over the years to accommodate a multitude of uses and interests from our community.
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Fri, 10 Nov 2023From Jungle Gym to Outdoor Urban Playscape: Our Reimagined Backlot Takes Shape
Friends Select School is reimagining the 16th Street entrance, backlot, and playground for its Parkway Building—an ambitious project that requires major philanthropic commitments from our community.
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Fri, 10 Nov 2023Above Board: Leading without a Map
Advance Friends Select, our strategic plan, has helped us navigate through unknown terrain and conflicting traffic reports for the past six years.
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Sat, 04 Nov 2023Giving Back: Dick Hoffman
Giving to Friends Select has been so meaningful during my tenure over the last six decades.
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Fri, 27 Oct 2023The Growth of Our Big Sibs/Little Sibs Program
The Big Sibs/Little Sibs program was piloted in a virtual format for less than 10 pairs of students at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It now enrolls over 35 pairs of Black students, as well as other students of color in the school’s Latine and Asian communities. -
Fri, 05 May 2023The Evolution of Friends Select’s After School Program
For decades, the Friends Select After School Program (ASP) has created an engaging, extracurricular environment for students in lower and middle school while providing peace of mind for their families.
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Fri, 05 May 2023Rising Enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Undergraduate enrollment in colleges and universities across the United States dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a total two-year decline of 4.2% after 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
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Fri, 05 May 2023New Transformation Talk Series: Gathering Local Thought Leaders to Elevate Civic Discourse
Friends Select School hosted the first installment of its Transformation Talk series last September, titled “Building for the Future: How to Create Lasting Equitable and Accessible Learning Spaces.”
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Fri, 05 May 2023From the Archives: School Traditions
Most institutions cherish their traditions, and Friends Select School is no exception.
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Fri, 05 May 2023Friends Select’s Distinguished Guests During the 2022-23 School Year
Throughout the 2022-23 school year, numerous distinguished guests visited Friends Select School to share their expertise and experiences with our community.
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Fri, 05 May 2023Friends Select Expands and Deepens Its Presence at NAIS People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference
Friends Select faculty, staff, and upper school students traveled to San Antonio, TX, in December for the annual People of Color Conference (PoCC) and Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
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Fri, 05 May 2023An Outdoor Space for All Ages
The next phase of the Advance Friends Select: Transformation Campaign is focusing on a redesign of the Parkway backlot, playground, and parking area.
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Fri, 05 May 2023
Above Board
We must be faithful stewards of Friends Select’s resources to support our community, both as it is today and for future generations of students, faculty, and staff. While this certainly applies to budgeting responsibly, we also have to ask if we are being good environmental stewards. How are we implicated in the forces leading to climate change?
