6/04 - Final Assembly 2004
5/04 - Commencement Information
5/04 - Improv Class Performs
5/04 - Yearbook Honored
5/04 - Junior Accepted to Iowa Writing Program
5/04 - Jacobson, IB Examiner, Attends DC Workshop
5/04 - Choirs, Bands in Festivals
4/04 - Canned Food Drive
4/04 - Peace Class Visits UN
4/04 - Eighth Grade Service Projects
4/04 - Rizzo in National Epidemiology Competition
4/04 - PST Sponsors Film/Discussion
4/04 - Middle School Math League
4/04 - "Art Cars" Workshops
3/04 - Winter Sports Student-Athletes Honored
3/04 - Middle School Swimmer Nationally Ranked
3/04 - Science Olympiad Success
3/04 - International Students Speak to Middle School
3/04 - Middle School Artists in Show
2/04 - Alumni Join in Black Students Forum Event
2/04 - Quaker Youth Leadership Conference
2/04 - Student Honors East Side Principal
2/04 - Altman Wins State Championship
2/04 - Mayor, City Council Praise WFS Preschool
1/04 - Junior Receives National Honor
1/04 - Jacobson Named IB Examiner
1/04 - "T" Named Delaware's Coach of the Year
1/04 - Drew Vincent a Scholar All-American in Soccer
1/04 - Sophomore Chosen to Organize National Youth-Leader Summit
12/03 - All-State Musicians
12/03 - Senior at UN Student Conference
12/03 - Senior a National Merit Semi-Finalist
12/03 - Junior Chairs National Committee
12/03 - All-State Recognition for Fall Athletes
12/03 - Shakespeare Competition Representatives Chosen
11/03 - Expert on "Date Rape" Meets With Students
11/14 - Jefferson Award Winner Matt Meyer '90 Meets With Students
10/03 - Junior Chosen for Leadership Conference
10/03 - Three Friends Students Win at Chess Championship
10/03 - Habitat Newsletter Highlights Friends Students
10/03 - Rick Grier-Reynolds Leads Group at UN Day 2003
10/03 - Fifth Grader Takes Second in Coast Day Essay Contest
10/03 - Seventh Grader Serves as Curator for Wilmington Film Festival
10/03 - Seventh Grade Partners With Linvilla Orchards to Help Fight Hunger
10/03 - Visitor from Ecuador Meets With Students, Exhibits Crafts
9/03 - Four Seniors Commended in National Merit Scholarship Program
9/03 - Jessica Cowperthwait '03 a Standout for Hofstra Field Hockey

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2005-2006 - Press Release Archives
2004-2005 - Press Release Archives
Summer 2004 - Press Release Archives
2003-2004 - Press Release Archives
Summer 2003 - Press Release Archives
2002-2003 - Press Release Archives

6/04 Final Assembly 2004
Michael Caddell and Sarah Lester were chosen by their classmates to be the senior speakers at Final Assembly on June 7. Numerous students were recognized with service awards for leadership in the school community and with commendations for exceptional contributions in academic classes, athletics, and activities.

Graduating seniors Sarah Lester and Andy McEnroe were honored jointly with the John Marshall Mendinhall II '39 Memorial Award, presented to the student or students who have done the most for the school. Juniors Merrie Bentley and Zac Rowen received the Charles W. Bush Award, recognizing "character, scholarship, and service." Graduating senior Melanie Malone received the Howard W. Starkweather, Jr. '44 Community Service Award. Senior Joe Hartnett and eighth grader Virginia Nicholson were recognized with the Amanda Spackman Gehret '51 Memorial Mathematics Award for one upper and one middle school students who "manifest outstanding mathematical achievement through development of ability and commitment to the experience of the whole class." Junior Peter Clemmer received the Robert P. Hukill '49 Science Award which emphasizes the importance of "innovation and creativity" as well as problem-solving ability, leadership, and a love of science. In addition the school awards, graduating seniors Meredith Cloud and Drew Vincent received Presidential Freedom Scholarship Awards, recognizing leadership in community service.

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5/04 Commencement Information
Commencement will be held at 6:30pm on Monday, June 7, at the upper/middle school campus, outside (weather permitting) or in the Snyder Athletic Center. The speaker will be the Reverend Lyndon Harris, now of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and previously director of relief ministries at Ground Zero following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Reverend Harris is author of the upcoming book, The Little Chapel That Stood: A Story of Healing and Hope.

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5/04 Improv Class Performs
On May 12, thirteen Friends upper school students performed in a joint comedy show with students from the Tatnall School; participating were senior Stacey Galperin; juniors Ruth Bromberg, Bill Kolodzey, Jeff Monhait, and Kelly Patton; sophomores Libbie Goodill, Grace Heck, Jessica Hurtt-Dunkley, James Maguire, and Ruth Bromberg; and freshmen Elissa Cashman, Emily DePhillips, Laura Rocek, and John Trenta. All were students in the "Improvisation and Movement" class, a semester-long performing arts elective taught by Micheline McManus.

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5/04 Yearbook Honored
The 2004 Continuum, the Wilmington Friends School yearbook, was selected by Walsworth Publishing Company to be inducted into its Gallery of Excellence, "awarded to those yearbooks that consistently demonstrate superior quality." The 2004 yearbook editor-in-chief was Felicia Goodman; the faculty advisor was Mary Woodward.

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5/04 Junior Accepted to Iowa Writing Program
Junior James Melnick, an International Baccalaureate diploma candidate, was one of only 60 students nationwide, in grades 10 through 12, accepted to the Iowa Young Writers' Studio for the summer of 2004. Students in the program will be mentored by professional writers and by students pursuing graduate degrees at the prestigious Iowa Writers' Workshop.

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5/04 Jacobson, IB Examiner, Attends DC Workshop
Middle school art teacher Lisa Jacobson, who earlier in the year was selected as a regional examiner in the International Baccalaureate program, was chosen as one of 32 teachers from 31 states to attend the Power of Art workshop on May 21. The workshop, sponsored by the Robert Rauchenberg Foundation will be held at the Lab School of Washington.

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5/04 Choirs, Bands in Festivals
In May, both the upper and middle school choirs participated in the State Choral Festival held at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington. The Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Seventh and Eighth Grade Choirs were evaluated by out-of-state judges, who also conducted special clinics with performers. The Seventh and Eighth Grade Choir and Band, a total of 84 students, will also participate in a May 15 music festival at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, and the Chamber Singers performed at a community choral event at Aldersgate Methodist Church in Wilmington in March.

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4/04 Canned Food Drive
The International Students Forum, clerked in 2003-04 by junior Sara Mosqueda-Fernandez, organized a canned food drive for a week in April, to benefit the Delaware Food Bank. The faculty advisor for the group is upper school dean for students Lynn Puritz.

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4/04 Peace Class Visits UN
On April 26, students in the Peace, Justice, and Social Change course visited United Nations Headquarters in New York. After a tour and lunch in the UN cafeteria, students had an opportunity to ask questions, focusing on the developing countries they studied through the year, of UN representatives.

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4/04 Eighth Grade Service Projects
During an April afternoon, sabbatical teacher (and longtime lower school science teacher) Ruth Kearns led a group of nine eighth graders into Alapocas Woods for their Adopt-a-Wetland service project. Also in April, eighth graders in the West Center City service group participated in a forum at West Presbyterian Church, to talk about the history and direction of the Wilmington neighborhood. The students had helped paint a mural at Eighth and Jefferson Streets, entitled "The Past, Present, and Future of West Center City: Turning Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones"; the mural will be officially dedicated on May 15.

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4/04 Rizzo in National Epidemiology Competition
Senior Tony Rizzo was chosen as a Regional Finalist in the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the ETS College Board. Tony presented his paper at the Regional and National Competition in Washington, DC in April; his topic was "Karate as a Measure of Modern Culture," exploring a possible statistical correlation between participating in karate and making healthy life choices.

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4/04 PST Sponsors Film/Discussion
Students launched a new organization in 2003-04, People Seeking Tolerance, with the goal of providing a forum for open discussion about issues related to sexual orientation. In April, PST sponsored a viewing and discussion of the film Philadelphia, along with a dessert buffet, in part to help raise funds to bring a nationally known speaker to Friends in 2004-05. The co-clerks of PST this past year were sophomore Zac Dutton and junior Merrie Bentley.

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4/04 Middle School Math League
A team of Friends seventh graders--Ali Cooper, Bob Lutz, Andy Martin, Julie Roberts, Nathan West and Lara Wik--earned the first-place regional trophy in Delaware's Invitational Math League competition. Lara Wik and Andy Martin tied for first place in the individual awards for the region; Julie Roberts took second place; Ali Cooper tied for third place; and Billy Broderick, who was on a different team representing Friends, also earned "top 10" individual honors. Bob Lutz had the highest average points per meet, but was not able to attend one event due to illness. Among Friends eighth graders in the competition, Virginia Nicholson won individual first place in the region, and Carrie Hopkins took second place; two of the school's eighth grade teams tied for third place in the region.

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4/04 "Art Cars" Workshops
Nancy Josephson, professional artist and current Friends parent, led a series of "art car" workshops in March and April for sixth graders from Friends and East Side Charter School. Nancy started each session with a slide show of cars transformed into works of art, and then helped students create their own mini art cars, using paint, hot glue, buttons, small toys, and other decorations donated by families and collected from around school. On May 26, the students' art cars will be on display in Rodney Square as the City of Wilmington launches its own art car display, a city-wide project similar to the popular dinosaur displays of past years.

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3/04 Winter Sports Student-Athletes Honored
First team all-state honors for winter sports went to sophomores Alex Coppadge in indoor track and Ben Altman in wrestling. Alex won the state indoor championship in the high jump, and Ben won the state championship in wrestling at 112 pounds. Ben was also chosen as "outstanding wrestler" at the state meet, as Delaware's high school wrestler of the year, and was nationally ranked by USA Wrestling. Senior Kay Binetti, who scored her 1,000th career point on February 10th--the first Friends girls basketball player to reach that milestone--earned all-state honorable mention in basketball.

In boys basketball, sophomore Ethan Timmins-Schiffman was named to first team all-Independent Conference; senior Danny Bloom was named to the second team; and senior Shawn Hollingsworth, who missed some playing time due to injury, received honorable mention. In girls basketball, in addition to senior Kay Binetti on first team all-conference, senior Mel Malone made second team, and senior Sarah Lester received all-conference honorable mention. Natalie Rosenberg was named first team all-conference for swimming. In wrestling, in addition to the conference, statewide and national honors earned by Ben Altman, three other Friends wrestlers were named first team all-conference: senior Reggie Iacobucci, who also had to fight through some injury problems, sophomore Sam Titone, and senior Drew Vincent, who will graduate from Friends having earned 13 varsity letters.

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3/04 Middle School Swimmer Nationally Ranked
Seventh grader Becca Murray was ranked among the top 100 swimmers in the country in her age group for the 200 meter breaststroke and among the top 150 in 50 meter breaststroke.

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3/04 Science Olympiad Success
On March 13, twelve Friends upper school students participated in the Science Olympiad at Delaware State University; the faculty advisor was science department chair Loraine Snead. The Friends students placed in nine events and won a total of 18 medals. Participating were seniors Stephanie Bonnes, Andrew Chepurny, Laura Director, Joe Hartnett, Abby Hughes-Strange, and Jeff Palmer; juniors Amelia Lyon, Martha MaloneyHuss, Emily Scott, Joe Sheridan, and Debra Shlossman; and sophomore Samuel Wein.3/04 Students Moderate Film Discussion

As part of the Diversity Week activities in early March, the entire upper school watched "The House We Live In," a film about inequities in the housing market and in other aspects of economic life in the United States. Senior Matt Johnson then moderated a discussion, with leadership from a panel that included senior Miriam Rocek, juniors Ellen Johnston and Steve Galinat, sophomore David Schley, and freshmen Anique Clements and David Walter.

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3/04 International Students Speak to Middle School
Senior Vincent Nussbaumer and juniors Franziska Lubos and Constanza Zingali, who all came to Friends through the American Field Service (AFS) Program, led a special collection for middle school students on March 4. They talked about their home countries and cultures, and about their experiences as international students at Friends. The school has participated in AFS every year since the student exchange program began in 1947.

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3/04 Middle School Artists in Show
A committee of Friends middle school students reviewed and selected student work to be displayed in the Delaware Association of Independent Schools Art Show, held this year at the Wilmington Montessori School, with the opening March 1. Friends was the only school to have a student committee select work for the show; members of that committee were seventh graders Mary Blemenfeld, Hannah Brilliant, Haley Cashman, Perrin Downing, and Amelie Menzel, and sixth grader Christie Rockwell.

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2/04 Alumni Join in Black Students Forum Event
On February 25, the Black Students Forum sponsored a special collection, featuring four African-American alumni, spanning almost three decades in graduation years. The alumni—Reggie Flowers '90, Monica Thompson-Henry '88, Sheldon Nix '74, and Theo Nix '72—along with sophomore Jessica Hurtt-Dunkley talked about their experiences as students of color at Friends. Other students involved in planning and leading the event were sophomores Alex Coppadge, Raven Harris, and Naomi Nix, and freshmen Kiarra Cannon and Anique Clements.

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2/04 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference
The 2004 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference was held February 19-21 at Friends Seminary in New York City, and was co-hosted by Brooklyn Friends. Under the theme "fewer words, more action," the focus was on effective student activism. Participating from Wilmington Friends were juniors Jim Geoghegan and James Melnick, sophomores Dianne de la Veaux and Naomi Nix, freshman Amy Johnston, and upper school math teacher Lysa Rieger.

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2/04 Student Honors East Side Principal
Fourth grader Eric Comeger participated in a February 13 program honoring Will Robinson, principal and executive director of East Side Charter School, where Eric was a student before coming to Friends. Carol Bancroft Morley '68, who was in the audience, praised Eric's "articulate, confident, and very meaningful message," noting that the quality of his presentation "spoke volumes not only for Will and Eric, but also for East Side Charter and Wilmington Friends." Carol concluded, "Needless to say, I was very proud of Eric, the school, and to be an alumna."

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2/04 Altman Wins State Championship
Congratulations to sophomore Ben Altman, who won the Delaware High School State Wrestling Championship at 112 pounds; Ben also received the outstanding wrestler trophy for the state meet. In the finals, Ben won in a major decision, 10-2, over top-ranked John Hummel of Milford High School, who had won the 2002 state championship at 103 pounds. Ben becomes the second state champion in Friends wrestling history; the first was John Fiss in 1991.

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2/04 Mayor, City Council Praise WFS Preschool
On Friday, February 27, Wilmington Mayor James Baker joined Head of School Lisa Darling and Douglas Gerdts, pastor of First & Central Presbyterian Church, in officially announcing the founding of the Wilmington Friends Preschool. The preschool will be located at First & Central, 11th and Market Streets in downtown Wilmington, and will open in September 2004. It will serve a deliberately diverse group of families, and children admitted to the preschool will continue in the k-12 program at the Alapocas campus. (For more information, please see Focus on Friends, January 2004, also found under the "news & events" link, or call the admissions office at 576-2930.)

Lisa Darling called the preschool "a current manifestation" of the mission of Wilmington Friends, which was founded by local Quakers in 1748 to serve "the children of the neighborhood," whether those children were black or white, male or female, Quaker or not, and regardless of their families' financial resources. It is a mission, Lisa said, that has guided Wilmington Friends, as "a private school with a public purpose."

Mayor Baker traced his association to Friends back to the 1960s, when he was working to set up a youth center in the city, and praised the school's commitment to community service and to the city. Wilmington City Council members Theo Gregory, chair of the committee responsible for education issues, and Norman Oliver, who represents the district where the preschool will be located, also attended the event, and presented a proclamation in honor of the preschool.

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1/04 Junior Receives National Honor
Friends junior Zack Rowen was selected for membership in the National Society of High School Scholars. Students are invited to join the organization, which was founded by Claes Nobel, based on academic achievement, and gain access to a variety of resources, special events, and scholarship opportunities.

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1/04 Jacobson Named IB Examiner
Middle school art teacher Lisa Jacobson has been named a regional examiner in the International Baccalaureate Programme. As an examiner, Lisa will evaluate work from art students throughout the region, according to IB's global standards. Prior to joining the Friends faculty in the fall of 2003, Lisa had taught at international schools in Italy and Germany. Wilmington Friends became Delaware's first IB school in 2002.

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1/04 "T" Named Delaware's Coach of the Year
Varsity football coach Bob Tattersall, known as "T", was named as Delaware's Coach of the Year at the 55th annual Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association (DSBA) banquet on January 29. A news article the next day described T as "the dean of Delaware high-school football coaches with 36 years at Wilmington Friends." T has 212 career wins, ranking second all-time in state history. His 2003 squad was 10-1, with four players earning all-state recognition. T's DSBA Coach of the Year award was presented by Bill Quillen '52.

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1/04 Drew Vincent a Scholar All-American in Soccer
Senior Drew Vincent was one of only 36 players in the nation chosen for the National Soccer Coaches of America Association (NSCAA) Scholar All-America Team; he previously had been one of only 25 players named to the All-East Team, and was the only player from Delaware chosen for either honor. Selections were based on recommendations from state soccer coaches, as well as academic achievement, leadership, and service; Drew, a first team all-state player in 2003, was nominated by varsity soccer coach Mark Schmittle.

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1/04 Sophomore Chosen to Organize National Youth-Leader Summit
Sophomore Jessica Hurtt-Dunkley was one of only 16 students from across the country chosen to serve on the planning committee for the "Tavis Smiley Youth to Leader Summit." The summit is sponsored by the Tavis Smiley Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 "to enlighten, encourage, and empower youth to improve their lives, their community and the world." Smiley also hosts a program on National Public Radio.

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12/03 - All-State Musicians
The following students were chosen as all-state instrumentalists: freshman Alexander Hallenbeck, sixth chair clarinet, Junior All-State Band; sophomore Ben Zorach, seventh chair flute, Senior All-State Band; freshman Celia Laskowski, first chair viola, All-State Orchestra; and junior Felicia Goodman, fourth chair flute, All-State Band and All-State Orchestra.

Chosen as members of the All-State Junior Chorus were: eighth graders Misha Barker, Allie Hammons, and Mieke de Vrind; and seventh graders Hannah Brilliant and Becca Murray.

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12/03 - Senior at UN Student Conference
Senior Justin Hugelen-Padin was the only Delaware student to participate the United Nations Student Conference on Human Rights. Justin was part of a small group that wrote a plan of action which was then voted upon by hundreds of students from around the world, some present at the conference in New York and others participating by video conference or email. The students' final draft was presented to UN General Secretary Kofi Annan and the UN Education Committee.

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12/03 - Senior a National Merit Semi-Finalist
Senior Sarah Cotts has qualified as a semi-finalist in the National Merit Scholarship program. Three other Friends seniors received commendations (top 5%) in the program, which is based on scores on the SAT 1 and the PSATs: Lee Herzog, Diane Holcomb, and Miriam Rocek.

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12/03 - Junior Chairs National Committee
At the annual meeting of the Model Organization of American States, held December 3-6 in Washington DC, Friends junior Ellen Johnston was elected as chair of the Third Committee. She had previously served as vice chair.

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12/03 - All-State Recognition for Fall Athletes
The following Friends students received all-state honors for fall sports: in volleyball, junior Ricki Kaplan; in soccer, seniors Drew Vincent and Chris Thompson; in field hockey, senior Colleen Farrell; and in football, seniors Mike D'Amico, Reggie Iacobucci, Hunter McMillan, and junior T. J. Knight.

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12/03 - Shakespeare Competition Representatives Chosen
Auditions for the annual Shakespeare competition were held on December 1 and 2. Senior Anne Goodfriend placed first, and now becomes the Wilmington Friends representative in multi-school Shakespeare competitions. Junior Merrie Bentley will serve as alternate.

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11/03 - Expert on "Date Rape" Meets With Students
On November 25, Katie Koestner presented a program "No/Yes" to juniors and seniors. Koestner is a date-rape survivor and sexual assault awareness educator. She has been on the cover of Time magazine and has given interviews featured in numerous other national publications and on national television; she also helped produce a docudrama, based on her experience, for HBO. Koestner has presented her program to students at more than 800 different colleges, military institutions, and high schools in 48 states and abroad.

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11/14 - Jefferson Award Winner Matt Meyer '90 Meets With Students
On Friday, November 14, Matt Meyer '90, winner of a 2003 National Jefferson Award for public service, visited campus to talk with students in the Peace, Justice, and Social Change class. Matt talked about his work in Kenya, developing a web-marketed business, "eco-sandals" to provide jobs and raise funds for an impoverished community just outside Nairobi.

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10/03 - Junior Chosen for Leadership Conference
Friends Junior Ellen Johnston was selected to participate in the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) in Washington, DC, from October 28 to November 2. NYLC is a leadership development program for high school students, who are selected based on demonstrated academic ability and leadership potential.

Ellen participated in special meetings and briefings with Washington newsmakers and in skill-building activities and simulations, such as assuming the role of President of the United States and responding to an international crisis. Students at the conference also examined Supreme Court cases, and held a "Model Congress," taking the roles of U.S. Representatives and debating mock legislation.

The National Youth Leaders Conference is sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1985.

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10/03 - Three Friends Students Win at Chess Championship
Three Wilmington Friends students participated in the YMCA of Delaware Scholastic Chess Championships on October 26, and all three won individual trophies. The combined success of the three students also earned a third-place finish for the school team--and another trophy.

Seventh grader Ishaan Karpe won second place in the overall competition; junior Ashwath Karpe won third place in the overall; and fifth grader Josh Zimmerman won the trophy for his age group.

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10/03 - Habitat Newsletter Highlights Friends Students
The fall 2003 issue of the Habitat News, published by Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, highlighted the involvement of Friends students as volunteers. "One of the on-going sources for community volunteerism has been through Wilmington Friends School," the article said, noting the school's service and externship programs.

Two of the six members of the class of 2003 who did their senior externships at Habitat were quoted in the article, Jamie Jacobs and Paul O'Brien. Jamie, who won a national award for community service last year, said it didn't take long to realize that the work was about more than just painting; "I was there to help a family in need of a house and my workdays started becoming really enjoyable." Paul credited the Habitat "regulars" for working patiently with the younger volunteers and especially for their contagious enthusiasm.

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10/03 - Rick Grier-Reynolds Leads Group at UN Day 2003
History/social science department chair and IB coordinator Rick Grier-Reynolds was invited to serve as a group leader at the seventh annual UN Day, held in Philadelphia and organized by Global Education Motivators. The event focused on the UN's "Education for All" goals from a human rights perspective, and Rick led a group discussing gender disparity.

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10/03 - Fifth Grader Takes Second in Coast Day Essay Contest
Friends fifth grader Parthena Moisiadis won the second-place award in this year's Coast Day Essay Contest, sponsored by the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies and Sea Grant College Program.

Parthena received her award and congratulations from Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner and Dr. Carolyn Thoroughgood, dean of the College of Marine Studies, at a ceremony on Coast Day, October 5. Fifth grade teacher Suzanne Powers accompanied Parthena to the ceremony.

In this year's essay contest, students were asked to write about "A Day in the Life of a Delaware River Pilot," describing "their" ship and a trip up the river to the Port of Wilmington. Parthena wrote about piloting a ship that had "come from Morocco, along with clementines," one of the major imports that passes through the Port.

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10/03 - Seventh Grader Serves as Curator for Wilmington Film Festival
As part of the City of Wilmington's Independent Film Festival, Wilmington Friends School seventh grader Erin Lawler was named curator for the children's festival called "Kids First." Erin was responsible for recruiting students to preview and write reviews of some of the showcased movies, as well as to help with audience surveys during the festival.

Erin was excited to write reviews, too, noting that she may want to write a screenplay herself one day. "I hope to be able to look at the films and learn about their qualities," Erin said, "and how to come up with a good story myself."

Several Wilmington Friends students joined Erin as leaders in the Kids First festival, serving as reviewers, ticket takers, and ushers. The festival was held the weekend of October 4-5, and was organized, in conjunction with the Wilmington Film Festival, by the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, a nonprofit organization with the goal of helping kids to make good choices as media consumers.

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10/03 - Seventh Grade Partners With Linvilla Orchards to Help Fight Hunger
On October 3, the seventh grade traveled to Linvilla Orchards in Middletown, Pennsylvania, for a special service project; former faculty member Andrea Linvil helped organize the event.

Farm managers and faculty led students in work through the morning, as they helped to process and pack fruit and vegetables and to clear dropped fruit following Hurricane Isabel. Linvilla Orchards donated all the produce that the Friends students and teachers were able to pack to Philabundance, a nonprofit that provided for more than 14 million meals for people in need just in the past year.

Other highlights of the orchard visit for the Friends students and teachers were a hayride around the farm, a discussion of how a Quaker business is run, freshly baked cider donuts, and a trip through the straw-bale maze.

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10/03 - Visitor from Ecuador Meets With Students, Exhibits Crafts
Maria Gabriela Albuja, known as "Gabby," visited Wilmington Friends on October 2, meeting with several classes in lower and upper school to talk with students about her native Ecuador, the school she runs there, and to show the crafts produced by her students.

Gabby is founder and director of an experimental trilingual private K-12 school, which emphasizes awareness of the Saraguro community's traditional culture. Her students become fluent in Quechua, Spanish, and English, and along with their academic studies, master the traditional crafts of their region. Students earn their school fees and money for supplies by selling their crafts.

Math department chair Anne Ray, who first met Gabby while working at a school in San Francisco, hopes that the visit will encourage a partnership between the school and Gabby's community.

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9/03 - Four Seniors Commended in National Merit Scholarship Program
Of the more than one million students who participated in the 2004 National Merit Scholarship Program, four Wilmington Friends seniors scored in the top five percent, and received commendations: Lee Herzog, Diane Holcomb, David Nazari, and Miriam Rocek.

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9/03 - Jessica Cowperthwait '03 a Standout for Hofstra Field Hockey
Freshman Jessica Cowperthwait, Wilmington Friends '03, beat out three other goalies to earn the starting position for the Hofstra University varsity field hockey team. Jessica was a first team all-state selection following her senior season at Friends, during which the field hockey team won the Independent Conference championship and went to the semi-finals of the state tournament.

Hofstra opened the season with eight straight wins, with Jessica posting a conference-best .88 goals against average; in the first nine games, she allowed more than one goal only once, in a 3-2 win over Dartmouth. Hofstra coach Kathy DeAngelis said, "Jessica has really exceeded all of our expectations….She really has done a phenomenal job."

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