alumni update - Friends School of Wilmington

A Publication of The Friends School of Wilmington
IN THIS ISSUE:
Headlines: A message
from our Head of School
Guest Speaker Shares
A Powerful Lesson
Ocean Plastics: Dolphins,
Turtles, and Plastics, Oh My!
ALUMNI UPDATE
and more …
Summer 2014
Life After 8th Grade
Our goal for our 8th grade graduates is to launch from Friends School
ready to fulfill their greatest potential in next schools. Practiced problemsolvers, our students take with them the ability to think critically, to engage
deeply, and to raise their hands and voices with passion and clarity. Friends
School graduates grow into capable, confident, and conscientious young
adults, taking the values of integrity, equality, and service with them.
We wish this year’s Friends School graduates the very best as they venture forth,
and we look forward to their visits on Alumni Day, November 11, 2014!
Caitlin Winkler – New Hanover High School
Taylor Hopkins – Ashley High School
James Citrin – New Hanover High School
Alex Macomson – Cosby High School (MIDLOTHIAN, VA)
Nicholas Johnson – Hoggard High School
Meredith Hou – Isaac Bear Early College
Jacob Leitch – Coastal Christian High School
Christopher Zack – Hoggard High School
Jessica Russ – Ashley High School
Connor Brinkley – Hoggard High School
Sam Berliner-Sachs – New Hanover High School
Ben DeArmond – Ashley High School
Ashlee Horning – Carolina Friends School (DURHAM, NC)
Ellie Landis – New Hanover High School
2. Congratulations 8th Grade Graduates
WHAT’S NEW
Headlines – A Message from the Head of School
HEADLINES
A Message from the Head of School
In the context of 325 years of Friends education in America,
Friends School of Wilmington is a youngster. We are entering
our 20th year of life, full of vigor, idealism, and creativity.
Our rich Quaker history firmly guides our youthful energy,
ensuring that we incorporate the big ideas of social justice,
equality, and activism in the lives of our students.
Our rich Quaker history firmly guides our
youthful energy, ensuring that we incorporate
the big ideas of social justice, equality, and
activism in the lives of our students.
Brenda and Guest Sepaker Amy Wright
you will read about ways in which this occurred at FSW this
past school year. You will also learn about an opportunity
we have created for students to form connections across
cultural differences, turning potential language barriers
into bridges. Alumni provide us with the most impressive
example of how a Friends School education leads to
activism —read about the work these fantastic people are
Activism at Friends School springs from knowledge and
doing in the world and where they are going to school.
subsequent care and love for the world. It is grounded
in tradition, experience, and one-on-one relationships.
Have a wonderful summer and please stay in touch!
Rather than reflexive or ideological, it is a mindful part of
the educational process, and grows like fruit from a tree.
It is rooted in the Quaker tradition of letting our lives speak.
We do this by introducing children to big ideas and to the
Brenda Esch
experts that care about them. In this issue of Connections,
Head of School
NEW in 2014–2015, our 20th Anniversary Year!
New soccer field—a truly exciting expansion for our sports
program. More details on page 8.
Mindfulness in Teaching and Learning—Facilitated by Irene
Dominican Republic—an important mission-driven initiative led
by Spanish Teacher Martina Jonsson-Boykin. Read more on page 9.
SPARK!—Modeled on a program created by John Ratey, students
McHenry (former Executive Director of Friends Council
on the Peiffer campus will start each day with Spark! Cameron
on Education), our August faculty inservice will give us a
Francisco and Tracy Tertzagian will lead invigorating activities
community-wide approach to Mindfulness in Education and
designed to turn on the brain’s prefrontal cortex so that students
help to deepen our Quaker identity. Middle School faculty will
can enter their classrooms ready for an energized day of learning.
utilize the Learning to Breathe curriculum in Advisory sessions
this year.
All-school curricular focus in 2014–2015—Place Based
Learning. Stay tuned!
Connections–Summer 2014
WHAT’S NEW
Cameron Francisco, the Man with the Plan
Cameron Francisco rappels with students on FSW’s 8th
grade culminating adventure trip to West Virginia.
Current and alumni families know Cameron
Francisco as THE can-do person on campus.
The man with the plan. The former Middle School Social
Studies teacher who loves students and learning almost as much as fishing and
skateboarding. The expert on ERBS and great graduation speeches.
But did you know that Cameron is also a leader who is studying best practices
with a national group of educators in Philadelphia? As part of Friends Council
on Education’s Institute for Engaging Leadership 2013–2015 cohort, Cameron
attends workshops, meets with experts in the field, studies current leadership
theory, and partners with mentor Mike Hanas, Principal of Carolina Friends
School in Durham in order to gain expertise and insights into Friends school
leadership. Cameron returns from retreats in Philadelphia ready to implement
important new ideas and practices on behalf of the students and staff at FSW.
4. Cameron Francisco, the Man with the Plan
WHAT’S NEW
A Unique and Valuable Lesson
Guest Speaker Shares
POWERFUL LESSON
with Friends School of Wilmington Students
This spring,
Friends School of Wilmington 3rd–8th
love and acceptance. Wright shared some home videos
grade students received a unique and valuable lesson from
and told the students that despite their differences, Beau
guest speaker, Amy Wright. A local Wilmington resident,
and Bitty were the happiest children she had ever known,
Wright is the author of the popular blog, It Starts with a
and were filled with energy, excitement and curiosity.
Voice, presented on her website: itstartswithavoice.com.
“By helping to foster compassion and establish a perspective
Amy Wright and her husband Ben have four children.
of acceptance, this experience clearly heightened our
Their two youngest, Beau (7) and Bitty (2) both have Down
students’ awareness, reduced their fear and uneasiness
Syndrome. Inspired by their exceptionally loving children,
about people with differences, and opened the possibility
the Wright’s made it their mission to, “advocate for the
of positive interaction with others who may be different
rights of people with intellectual disabilities and help
from ourselves,” Tarquinio said.
spread a message of inclusion and acceptance”,
as stated on their website.
Wright was invited to speak to Friends School
Students by the school’s 5th grade teacher,
Julia Tarquinio. “Our students read a memoir
about a woman that struggled through school
due to a math learning disability, but eventually
discovered she was a gifted artist. Our class
discussed how everyone is smart and gifted in
certain ways, and everyone has challenges too.
The lesson was about honoring and accepting
all people just as they are. I had heard about
the Wright’s extraordinary story and realized that it
Friends School Head, Brenda Esch, commented, “Our
represented a true life example of the very lessons we
school’s mission statement emphasizes equality, and our
were learning. So, I invited her to speak to our kids,” recalls
core values include community, diversity, and service.
Tarquinio.
Meeting Amy Wright gave our students a powerful learning
Wright’s presentation included the telling of her life
story followed by a question and answer session with the
experience that aligns with our mission and leads them to
act mindfully and compassionately in the world.”
students. Wright admitted that she knew little about Down
To learn more about Amy, Beau, Bitty, and the Wright’s
Syndrome when Beau was born, but described how she
inspiring story visit: itstartswithavoice.com
came to realize that her children and their differences were
an amazing blessing that taught her about unconditional
This article was first published by Wilmington Parent
Connections–Summer 2014
FEATURE STORY
Ocean Plastics
DOLPHINS,
TURTLES, &
PLASTICS,
OH MY!
By Montessori Primary Teacher, Jody Ellis
Moving in front of a bright blue 25’
back-drop of ocean waves, Bonnie Monteleone
in the oceans. Pointing to the impressive canvas panels
swooped and swirled with a dolphin puppet in her hand.
among the refreshing blue water of the waves were all
Her audience of 3–6 year olds watched with rapt attention
types of ocean trash from toilet seats to detergent bottles,
calling out in dismay as Danielle Dolphin grabbed a plastic
plastic lighters to sand shovels. She explained that these
bottle in her mouth instead of a fish. Speaking to all the
were photos of actual objects collected from beaches,
students at the Pine Grove campus, Bonnie introduced
open oceans, and from the insides of dead fish and other
her sea creature puppets and then showed what was
sea creatures. Moving among the seated students, Bonnie
happening to the real animals because of plastic debris
dangled a helium balloon in front of a sea turtle and a
6. Feature Story: Activism at Friends School
behind her, Bonnie showed the students that hidden
plastic bag near a dolphin. She brought out tiny pieces of
Students in Grades 3–8 hosted Bonnie at our Peiffer campus
plastic that break down in the ocean and look just like fish
earlier this year and talked with her about her scientific
eggs to hungry sea creatures.
expeditions to four of the world’s five ocean gyres where
plastic debris collects in “garbage patches.” 7th and 8th
What can we do? How can we help? Bonnie’s message
grade students in Amy Hall’s Digital Storytelling elective
was clear and energizing. We need to recycle, reuse, and
interviewed Bonnie and many others for their student-
reduce. She gave kids practical ways to help our oceans
produced documentary, “H2 Oh No!” To see “H2 Oh No!” visit
such as putting food in reusable containers, buying large
www.youtube.com and search “friends school h2 oh no!”
bags instead of individualized portions, and using cloth
shopping bags. Bonnie encouraged the children to take
Bonnie Monteleone is part of Plastic Ocean Project, an
an active role in making this happen by talking to their
organization that links art and science to reach out to
parents, packing their own lunches, and cleaning up litter.
students, scientists, and world leaders to remove the plastics
At first saddened by Bonnie’s presentation, the students
from our oceans. Her traveling art exhibit, “What Goes
soon became motivated to help our oceans. Every day at
Around Comes Around,” is visiting schools across the country
Friends School students are taking the lead to pick up litter,
to bring awareness regarding the problems with single-use
reduce waste in lunches, compost, and recycle.
plastics, why it matters, and what can be done about it.
Connections–Summer 2014
SCHOOL NEWS
FSW SPRING AUCTION
THANK YOU
to parents, grandparents, friends and sponsors
who attended the FSW SPRING AUCTION at at Saint Thomas Preservation Hall on April 25th, 2014. The event
brought our community together, celebrated our incredible school, and raised over $25,000 towards our
operating budget, financial aid and athletic/outdoor programs. WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!
The sod is in place and the irrigation well is in!
Thanks to our Fund-A-Need donors, FSW will soon be able to host soccer
games on our new regulation-size soccer field. If you would like to support
our 2014 Outdoor/Athletics Fund-A-Need please mail a tax-deductible check
made payable to Friends School of Wilmington to:
Development Office/Fund-A-Need
Friends School of Wilmington
350 Peiffer Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28409
Together we can reach our goal.
No pun intended!
8. FSW celebrates published authors in our parent community!
International Service Learning:
7th and 8th grade students who will be participating in our
inaugural International Service Learning Trip this fall.
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
FALL 2014
By FSW Parent Mariana Johnson
Watching my eight-year-old, Maria, come home
from the Camp Don Lee at the end of the school year, full
of excitement and stories, has made me think about the
importance of class trips in our children’s lives. She seemed
older, as if she’d grown physically somehow during the
of embracing your child’s obstacles and small failures, since
twenty-four hours they were gone. It reminded me that these
those are so often the moments when a child’s character
trips, as opportunities for growth and independence, have a
deepens. There’s also value in exposing our children, in a
way of marking a turning point. I place a lot of value in the fact
more-than-superficial way, to the lives of people much less
that they’re part of the year-to-year culture at Friends School.
fortunate than they are, who face obstacles far larger than
a skinned knee. These kinds of experiences can teach them
At the end of October, a group of eleven Friends School
what good fortune means, widen their empathy, and even
seventh- and eighth-graders will participate in a
ignite their desire to solve problems.
remarkable week-long trip to the Dominican Republic.
Martina Jonsson-Boykin and Cameron Francisco will lead
More and more, studies are showing that service-learning
the trip to the (rather gorgeous) Puerto Plata province in
and study-abroad opportunities play a necessary role
the northern part of the DR. The students will be working
in education, not only for instilling a sense of global
with the DREAM Project—Dominican Republic Education
citizenship, but specifically as “an effective instructional
and Mentoring—helping to improve an impoverished
strategy for developing students’ leadership capacity.” This
elementary school in the coastal town of Cabarete.
spring, an op-ed ran in several newspapers on the value of
international travel experiences for young students. Allan
In addition to a lot of hard work and fun excursions, the
Goodman, the president of the Institute of International
students will experience a level of Spanish-immersion
Education, wrote that “learning how to interact with
that’s only really available in an international context.
people from other countries and cultures equips future
They will interact with Spanish-speaking peers, practicing
leaders in all sectors to address urgent issues shared across
their Spanish with native speaking students from the
borders.” It suggests that, in addition to building character
Domincan Republic and they will function daily in a
and language acquisition now, we are preparing them, too,
Spanish-speaking culture. It promises to be an equally fun
for all manner of things that lie ahead.
and challenging journey.
For more information, or to support the ongoing fundraising
Many of us are familiar with Dr. Wendy Mogel’s book The
efforts of our seventh and eighth graders, please go to: www.
Blessings of A Skinned Knee, which emphasizes the importance
fsow.org and click International Service Learning
Connections–Summer 2014
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Life After Friends School
Class of 2004 –
Sierra Nelson
Sierra graduated from Appalachian State University in 2011, summa cum laude with
a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. In 2012, she began law school at the University
of California, Irvine School of Law. She is currently spending the summer in San
Francisco, California at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California
working as a law clerk to reform California’s public schools. She will graduate from
law school in May 2015 and hopes to work for a non-profit advocating for the rights
of immigrants and minorities.
Class of 2008 –
Kira Foley
After leaving Friends School of Wilmington in 2008, Kira
attended high school at Cape Fear Academy for two years
and entered Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington,
MA. She received her Associates of Arts (A.A.) in Liberal Arts at
colleges and universities in the Northeast
the age of 18 and transferred to Clark University in Worcester,
U.S. who are running campaigns to get more Real
MA in pursuit of undergraduate research opportunities in
Food (defined as Local/Community Based, Humanely Raised,
the field of psychology. Kira graduated in May with a B.A. in
Fairly Traded, and Ecologically Sound) in their dining halls.
Psychology with Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Psi
Kira attributes elements of her foundational learning process
Chi honors. Kira plans to take a gap year before beginning
to her time at FSW: “I learned how to synthesize information
graduate study in Environmental Psychology with a research
in creative and meaningful ways. The way the sciences and
focus on Social Change Agents to Increase Sustainability and/
humanities were integrated together through hands-on
or Food, Consumer Behavior, and Health. In the meantime, she
projects molded my perception of the world in a way that
is pursuing her passions of food justice and global nutritional
allows me to think outside the box. I’m also a huge fan of the
health through a Fellowship with Real Food Challenge in
emphasis placed on community service at FSW — that was
Cambridge, MA. She will be working to support students at
life-changing”.
Following Friends
Friends School of Wilmington is extremely proud of the students who have passed through our doors.
The paths our alumni have taken reflect their diverse gifts, talents, personalities, and passions.
FSW Class of 2010: Seems like just yesterday they were graduating from Friends School, now …
2010 – Elie Kucera: Elie will be
FSW Graduates in 2010
attending University of North Carolina
at Greensboro in the fall.
2010 – Emeline McCaleb: Emeline will
attend Rollins College, in Winter Park,
Florida. She received their President’s
scholarship, a four-year academic award.
2010 – Jay Batchler: Jay will be
attending University of North Carolina
School of the Arts, majoring in
Cinematography and Film Editing.
2010 – Julia Diestche: Julia will be
attending University of North Carolina
University in the fall. He plans on
2010 – Rachel Snider: Rachel will be
School of the Arts. She will attend the
majoring in Computer Information
attending The University of Vermont in
School of Design and Production.
Systems with a minor in Creative
the fall.
Writing.
2010 – Khyber Nasser: Khyber will
2010 – Sandro Chatlos: Sandro
enter NC State next fall where he plans
2010 – Natalie Kretschmer: Natalie
will attend Fayetteville Technical
to major in Biomedical Engineering.
will be attending UNC Chapel Hill
Community College and receive his
where she plans to double major
associates degree in Automotive
2010 – Mitchell Roberts: Mitchell
in Clinical Psychology and Creative
Systems Technology.
will be attending Western Carolina
Writing.
FOLLOWING FRIENDS Calling All Alumni to Connect with Cameron
What have you been up to since graduating from Friends School?
Email Cameron at cameronf@fsow.org and like us on Facebook.
Cameron, Kira Foley (2008),
Melissa Foley and Ann
We want to hear from you!
Connections–Summer 2014
SUMMER 2014 – Connections Newsletter
350 Peiffer Avenue | Wilmington, NC 28409
Your Annual Fund Dollars
AT WORK!
To make your tax deductible contribution
please visit:
www.fsow.org and click Support FSW
or mail your gift to:
Friends School of Wilmington
Development Office
350 Peiffer Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28409
For more information please contact:
Jill Stockman
Development Director
jills@fsow.org | 910-792-1811