5/05 - 20 Complete IB Diploma Requirements
5/05 - Patton and Melnick Awarded Merit Scholarships
5/05 - Coppadge a Champion Among Champions
5/05 - Walter Chosen for Governor's School
5/05 - Penny Race Helps Fight Leukemia
5/05 - Faculty News
5/05 - Successful Year for Young Track Program
5/05 - National Language Exams
5/05 - More Spring Sports News
4/05 - Lower School Featured in Earth Day and Service-Learning Articles
4/05 - Upper School International Students Share Insights
4/05 - Relay for Life
4/05 - Feeney Swims at Nationals
3/05 - Rosenberg Wins Essay Contest, Honored by AAUW
3/05 - National Field Hockey Tournament
3/05 - Alex Coppadge State MVP in Track
3/05 - Lisa Darling to Head NM International School
3/05 - Science Olympiad Success
2/05 - African American Read-In Chain
2/05 - More Winter Sports News
2/05 - Tsunami Relief Efforts
2/05 - Fourth Grader's Work Chosen by CHILD'S PLAY 2004-2005
2/05 - Three Seniors Named National Merit Finalists
2/05 - Bernard on CSEE National Resource Panel
2/05 - Annual Blood Drive
2/05 - IB Math
2/05 - Presidential Scholar Candidates
2/05 - Adrienne Monley '02 Honored with University of Rochester Leadership Award
1/05 - Chess Champs
1/05 - Quaker Youth Leadership Conference Attendees
1/05 - Dr. Wilson Returns to WFS
12/04 - Native American Workshops
12/04 - Phan Play Taught at Tufts
12/04 - Students, Teachers Participate in NAIS Conferences
11/04 - Sixth Grade Choir News
11/04 - Upper School Stages "The Music Man"
11/04 - Friends Hosts NCISR Cluster Meeting
11/04 - Seventh Grade Trip to Washington, DC
11/04 - Volleyball Team Claims Conference Title
11/04 - Mock Debate and Election
11/04 - National Merit Scholarship Program
11/04 - Alumnus of the Year: Matt Meyer '90
11/04 - Parents for Multiculturalism Event
10/04 - Borders Books & Music Fair a Success
10/04 - Students go to (and sing in) the Opera
10/04 - Principal for a Day
10/04 - Vacca and Diop Present "World Rhythms"
10/04 - Faculty Attend NCTM Conference
10/04 - Seventh Grade to Philadelphia Museum of Art
10/04 - Grier-Reynolds Leads Educator Discussion
10/04 - German Teachers Tour WFS
10/04 - Sophomore Honored for Community Work
10/04 - MS Unveils "Math Wall"
9/04 - Business Meeting Officers for 2004-2005
9/04 - Fall Sports Captains Chosen

Return to the Current Press Releases

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

5/05 20 Complete IB Diploma Requirements
Twenty members of the Wilmington Friends School class of 2005 became the first Delaware students to complete the requirements for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

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5/05 Patton and Melnick Awarded Merit Scholarships
Kelly Patton '05, who will attend Middlebury College, was selected as a winner of a National Merit $2,500 Scholarship sponsored by PepsiCo Foundation, Inc. There are 2,500 National Merit Scholarships awarded each year. James Melnick '05, who will attend Duke, was selected as a winner of a corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship Award, the "AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Merit Scholarship." James and Peter Clemmer, who will attend Swarthmore, were also chosen as Presidential Scholar candidates.

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5/05 Coppadge a Champion Among Champions
Alexandra Coppadge '06 was a double-winner (300 hurdles, high jump) at the Meet of Champions state track tournament on May 26, guaranteeing all-state recognition. Alex previously had won three titles at the Division II state meet (100 and 300 hurdles, high jump), and four at the New Castle County meet (adding the long jump), and was invited to compete in high jump at the Penn Relays. Following the winter track season, with championships in three events, Alex was honored as the female "state MVP" for the season. She also finished fourth in the pentathlon at the Nike Indoor National High School Championships.

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5/05 Walter Chosen for Governor's School
David Walter '07 has been selected to attend the 2005 Governor's School for Excellence in the "academics and leadership" program.

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5/05 Penny Race Helps Fight Leukemia
Kelsey Burston '07, Emily DePhillips '07, and Anne Kelsey '07 organized "penny races" at middle/upper school and then at lower school, with students donating coins to try to fill containers as quickly as possible. Proceeds benefited the Leukemia Society.

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5/05 Faculty News
Middle school teacher John Hanson has been awarded a fellowship to study at the 2005 Holocaust Museum Summer Program for Educators. History/social science department chair and IB program coordinator Rick Grier-Reynolds has been accepted to the IB Academy, and will train as a consultant to work with schools applying to offer IB programs. Middle school science teacher Karen Horikawa was named a Fulbright Scholar for 2005-06. Richard Bernard, who coordinates the religious studies and service programs at Friends, has accepted an invitation to serve on the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education National Resource Panel.

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5/05 Successful Year for Young Track Program
In addition to the all-state and national recognition earned by Alex Coppadge '06, who initiated the track program at Friends, the inaugural spring season was a great success in terms of both participation and performance. Of 18 participating student-athletes, seven, most new to the sport this year, qualified for the state meet: Alex Coppadge, Steven Hicks '08, Corin Johnson '08, Alex Lippincott '08, Jon Ljungqvist '08, Adrian Sawyerr '08, and Paul Thierce '06 (AFS). Participation in winter track doubled to 14 this year. Four winter track athletes qualified for the state meet in individual events: Alex Coppadge won the shot put, high jump, and 55-meter hurdles; Mallory Goggins '07 placed eighth in the state in the 400-meter dash; and Allie Hammons'08 and Diana Farmer '07 qualified for the 800-meter run. Two 4X400 relay teams also qualified for the winter state meet: Corin Johnson '08, Jeremy Lo '06, Evan Plys '07, and Bill Kolodzey '05; and Diana Farmer, Allie Hammons, Emily Howe '08, and Mallory Goggins. Leslie Knight coached both winter and spring track.

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5/05 National Language Exams
In this year's national language exams, 24 Friends students scored in the state's top-10 on various levels of the national French exam; ten ranked in the top-10 nationally: Paul Thierce '06 (AFS), Elise Ratchford '05, Martha MaloneyHuss '05, Kelly Patton '05, Anne Kelsey '07, Diana Patton '09, Elaina Leshock '10, Hunter Witmer '10, Abby Walter '10, and John Walters '10. Twelve Friends students earned top-10 ranking in the state across all levels of the Spanish exam.

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5/05 More Spring Sports News
Six Wilmington Friends spring sports teams qualified for state tournaments: baseball, boys' lacrosse, boys' and girls' tennis, girls' soccer, and girls' and boys' track. In tennis, Jeff Monhait '05 and Allie Hammons '08 advanced to the finals in second singles, and the girls' soccer team, ranked fifth in the state, advanced to the semi-finals, losing in overtime.

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4/05 Lower School Featured in Earth Day and Service-Learning Articles
An April 19 article in the Wilmington News Journal highlighted elementary school students' ideas in an article "35 Ways Kids Say They Can Help." Six Friends students, from the firsr/second grade vertical class were quoted: Margeaux P., Cat C., Spencer H., Evan M., Kelly K., and Martha O. On March 3, the cover story of the newspaper's "Crossroads" section was about the service-learning partnership of tenth graders at Howard High School of Technology with students in first grade at Friends and their "buddies" from the "ElderandChild" program.

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4/05 Upper School International Students Share Insights
Members of the upper school International Students Forum visited lower school on April 13 to share their perspectives and experiences from living in other countries. Those participating included Adrian Fong ‘06 (Singapore) , Cal Habayeb ‘05 (West Bank) , Willie Kalema '06 (Uganda), Ash Karpe '05 (India), Filip Langemar '06 (Sweden, AFS), Sara Mosqueda-Fernandez '05 (Canada, Mexico), Eric Pacheco '06 (Puerto Rico), Chi-Hun Rim '05 (Korea, Australia), Jena Rumer '08 (Hong Kong), Lindsay Rumer ‘06 (Hong Kong), Adrian Sawyerr '08 (Sierra Leone, Gambia), Giulia Sciota '07 (Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands), Paul Thierce '06 (France, AFS), Will Walters '08 (Great Britain), and Pooja Yadav '08 (India).

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4/05 Relay for Life
The newly founded Relay for Life committee, clerked by Shira Tiffany '07 and Mallory Wilson '07, organized a dodge ball tournament at school on April 8, and raised $600 for cancer research.

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4/05 Feeney Swims at Nationals
Danny Feeney, who is in eighth grade this year at Friends, was among the youngest qualifiers for the April YMCA national swim meet in Florida. Danny swims at the Brandywine YMCA.

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3/05 Rosenberg Wins Essay Contest, Honored by AAUW
Junior Jennifer Rosenberg won an essay contest sponsored by Global Education Motivators. Her essay, "How to Make Globalization Work for the Poor," was part of a video-conferencing series that included 125 students from Mexico, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, and the United States, in discussion with experts from the United Nations. Other Friends students who participated, under the leadership of teacher Rick Grier-Reynolds, were Zac Dutton, Devin Horzempa, and Eric Preisendanz. Jennifer Rosenberg was also honored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) as an outstanding female student in math and science.

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3/05 National Field Hockey Tournament
Five Friends students represented Delaware at the National Field Hockey Indoor Tournament in March. Alyssa Cashman, Lauren Galinat, Katie McEnroe, and Brooke Sheppard, all '07, played on a U-16 team, and Hannah Beswick '05 played for a U19 Delaware team.

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3/05 Alex Coppadge State MVP in Track
Congratulations to junior Alexandra Coppadge on her accomplishments in winter track and field. Alex won three events at the state meet—the 55m hurdles, shot put, and high jump—earning all-state recognition for each championship. At the N5CTA winter track banquet, Alex was named as the female "state MVP" for the season. She also finished fourth in the pentathlon at the Nike Indoor National High School Championships.

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3/05 Lisa Darling to Head NM International School
In a letter dated March 9, 2005, Lisa Darling, Head of School at Wilmington Friends School since 1994, announced her resignation as of July 2005. Darling will become the next President of United World College of the American West (UWC-USA) in New Mexico. Darling submitted her resignation "with terribly mixed emotions," she wrote, adding, "As excited as I am about my new position…I am equally sad to be leaving Friends and the school community that means so much to me, both professionally and personally." Darling has been at Wilmington Friends since 1988, serving first as Business Manager (1988-91) and then as Assistant Head of School for Lower School (1991-94) before being appointed as Head of School.

In announcing the resignation to the Wilmington Friends School community, Board of Trustees Chair Mike Hendricks praised Lisa Darling for leading the school through a time of tremendous growth, noting the expansion of facilities and enrollment and the implementation of "a more integrated global studies curriculum, including the International Baccalaureate program." Hendricks also praised Darling's emphasis of professional development for teachers; he wrote, "Lisa's commitment to the highest professional standards has opened opportunities for teachers to grow throughout their careers, a key to the retention and recruitment of the highest quality faculty." Darling also "encouraged our school always to look outward," Hendricks said, "as an expression of our founding [Quaker] mission, not just in curriculum but through ties to the broader community." He pointed to the Wilmington Friends Preschool, which opened in September 2004 and is located at First & Central Presbyterian Church on Rodney Square in downtown Wilmington, as "a culminating achievement of that effort."

Darling likened her preparation to take on the leadership of United World College of the American West to the education received by Friends students. She wrote of what the school had enabled her "to learn and to become," adding, "For 257 years, that's what Wilmington Friends School has been doing. A Friends education inspires, and requires, the best in all of us—intellectually, spiritually, and in commitment to community. Our students go out into the world, ready and eager to make a difference. This summer, it will be my turn to venture beyond our campus and to apply what I have learned."

In announcing Darling's appointment, James B. Taylor, chairman of United World College's Board of Trustees, said, "We are very pleased to have found an experienced educator who is committed to international education and global understanding." United World College of the American West is a two-year, pre-university, international school, serving 200 students ages 16 to 19 from more than 80 different countries. It was founded by Armand Hammer in 1982, and is one of 10 United World College schools; the others are in Canada, Wales, Norway, Italy, Swaziland, Venezuela, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Her Majesty Queen Noor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan serves as President of the United World Colleges, and former South African President Nelson Mandela serves as Honorary President.

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3/05 Science Olympiad Success
Congratulations to the upper school Science Olympiad team, which earned a total of 24 medals at the state competition held March 12. Science department chair Loraine Snead and science teachers Ellen Johnson and George Lacsny coached the team; seniors Amelia Lyon and Debra Shlossman were the student clerks for Science Olympiad. Other members of the team include seniors Jennifer Ljungqvist, Kelly Patton, Elise Ratchford, Emily Scott, and Joe Sheridan; juniors Sam Titone and Samuel Wein; sophomore Nathan Hobbs; and freshmen Paris Barkan, Mieke deVrind, Morgan Dorsey, Allie Hammons, Emily Howe, Kelly McGeehan, Reity O'Brien, and Pooja Yadav.

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2/05 African American Read-In Chain
Lower school participated in the 16th Annual African American Read-In Chain, an event sponsored by the National Association of Teachers of English and endorsed by the International Reading Association, that supports literacy as a part of Black History Month. On February 7, teachers made a specific effort to read books by African-American authors to their classes; almost 300 Friends students participated. The event was coordinated by associate teacher Jiana Murdic.

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2/05 More Winter Sports News
In a courageous performance despite injury, Ben Altman '06 finished second in the state in wrestling at 119 pounds; all four qualifiers from Friends won at least one match at the state meet. The wrestling team also won its second straight conference title, finishing with a record of 9-1, and placed nine athletes on the academic all-state team: Ben Altman, Nate Hoffman '05, Carl Fritschel '06, Ben Klein '05, Geoff Novak '06, Evan Bartle '08, Sam David '06, James Maguire '06, and Danny Rhoades '05. In basketball, Ethan Timmins-Schiffman '06 received honorable mention all-state honors.

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2/05 Tsunami Relief Efforts
In efforts to respond to the December tsunami, upper school students held a "loose change" fundraiser; the middle school service and dance committees donated funds to relief agencies; and lower school families helped with an "extra chores" project. Individual classes also undertook projects such as assembling health kits and collecting donations at a class puppet show; one first grade student designed and sold buttons with the slogan, "Friends for Tsunami Relief," and the school also hosted the local "Story Tsunami" event as part of an international effort. Combined, the efforts raised more than $6,000 for relief agencies, not counting donated goods.

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2/05 Fourth Grader's Work Chosen by CHILD'S PLAY 2004-2005
Of the 2,500 original works submitted by elementary and middle school students from Delaware, ten were chosen for performance in the 2004-05 CHILD'S PLAY program, including a work by Wilmington Friends fourth grader Myles H.

CHILD'S PLAY is a professional traveling theatre group that takes stories and poems written by young students and transforms them into live plays, dances, and songs. The company was founded in 1978 and is based in Chicago. The Delaware program has been coordinated for the last 11 years by Children & Families First.

The performance of Myles' story will be on March 2 at 10:00am at Delcastle Technical High School in Wilmington.

In addition, ten Friends students received honorable mention in this year's CHILD'S PLAY program: fourth graders Eliza C., Devon L., Maggie S., and Dunia T.; and third graders Ryan B., Laura G., Aja L., Ellie M., Julia R., and Maria R.

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2/05 Three Seniors Named National Merit Finalists
Three Wilmington Friends seniors have advanced to "Finalist" standing in this year's National Merit Scholarship Program. Peter Clemmer, James Melnick, and Kelly Patton are among the 15,000 students nationwide (out of 1.3 million who take the qualifying test) to achieve finalist standing. Approximately 8,000 students will be chosen to receive National Merit Scholarship awards. Peter and James are also candidates in the Presidential Scholar program.

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2/05 Bernard on CSEE National Resource Panel
Richard Bernard, a faculty member since 1981 who coordinates the religious studies and service programs at Friends, has accepted an invitation to serve on the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education National Resource Panel in World Religions. CSEE Executive Director David Streight said, "The professionals named to this panel have distinguished themselves both in their schools and among their national colleages. They are known for their intelligence, their training, for their energy and creativity." CSSE is a not-for-profit consortium of 300 schools concerned with moral development and character education programs, and issues of religious diversity and quality instruction about religions.

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2/05 Annual Blood Drive
The annual Blood Drive was held on Tuesday, February 22. Seniors Kristen Mraz and Cory Tieste clerk the Blood Drive Committee; the faculty advisors are Gregg Miller, Director of Technology, and Richard Bernard, coordinator of the service program.

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2/05 IB Math
After completing the material for AP Calculus BC, seniors in their second year of IB higher-level undertook "teaching assignments," with parents of students in the class invited to attend. Each student, or sometimes pair of students, taught the class for one or two days. James Melnick and Jeff Monhait taught a unit on "The Comparison, Ratio, and Root Tests." Nick Derke and Cal Habayeb taught on "Alternating Series, Conditional Convergence." Kelly Patton taught the unit called "Maclaurin and Taylor Series, Power Series." Zac Rowen and Joe Sheridan led the class work on "Euler's Method, Slope Fields," and Fazeel Khan taught the unit on "Differentiating and Integrating Power Series." Martha MaloneyHuss and Debra Shlossman each taught a unit on statistics. Ildiko Hegedus teaches the IB higher-level math class.

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2/05 Presidential Scholar Candidates
(From a press release from the U.S. Department of Education)

Wilmington Friends School seniors Peter Clemmer and James Melnick have been named as candidates in the 2005 Presidential Scholars Program. Both students also received early admission to college. Peter will attend Swarthmore College, and James will attend Duke University. Previous Presidential Scholars from Wilmington Friends include Mike Lamb 1996, O. Francis Biondi, Jr. 1983, and Elizabeth Mintz 1981.

The Presidential Scholars Program is in its 41st year, and represents one of the highest honors for graduating high school seniors. Scholars are chosen based on superior academic and artistic achievement, leadership qualities, strong character, and involvement in community and school activities. The approximately 2,600 Presidential Scholar candidates were selected from nearly 2.8 million students expected to graduate from high schools in the United States this year; selection was based on exceptional performance on either the College Board SAT or the ACT Assessment. Further consideration is based on student essays, self-assessments, descriptions of activities, school recommendations, and school transcripts.

A distinguished panel of educators will review submissions and select 500 semifinalists in early April. The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of 32 eminent citizens appointed by the President, will make the final selection of the Scholars. The Commission will select one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and from among U.S. students living abroad; 15 students at-large; and up to 20 students recognized for exceptional achievement and promise in the creative and performing arts. The U.S. Department of Education will announce the Scholars in May.

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2/05 Adrienne Monley '02 Honored with University of Rochester Leadership Award
Adrienne Monley, a junior majoring in English at the University of Rochester, was selected to receive the Jane Plitt Award, presented each year to a woman undergraduate who exemplifies leadership qualities and community involvement with a commitment to equal rights for women. Adrienne volunteers in the marketing and communications department at Planned Parenthood of the Rochester/Syracuse Region, and serves as treasurer of the executive board of the Sigma Delta Tau sorority. Adrienne is also active in the University Career Center, where she works as a peer career advisor and internship assistant. And she recently became active with the campus newspaper. Adrienne received her award on February 10 at the annual Susan B. Anthony Legacy Dinner, jointly sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership and the University of Rochester Women's Club.

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1/05 Chess Champs
With apologies for the late recognition, Ishaan Karpe '08 finished second in the eighth grade competition at the Delaware State Scholastic Chess Tournament Championship held in October 2004. Fourth grader Adyn S. also finished second in his age group.

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1/05 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference Attendees
The school's nominating committee has chosen representatives to attend this year's Quaker Youth Leadership Conference, which will be held at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, February 3-5: senior Andy Cannon, juniors Dianne de la Veaux and Zac Dutton, and sophomores Lauren Galinat and Katie McEnroe. The theme of the conference is "US and How We Got There," and the keynote speaker is Signe Wilkinson, a Quaker and Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist.

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1/05 Dr. Wilson Returns to WFS
On January 6, the SADD committee, in partnership with the multi-school Delaware Community of Concern, sponsored a visit from Dr. Bill Wilson of Duke University. Dr. Wilson is a neuropharmacologist who studies how alcohol and other drugs interact with the central nervous system. Dr. Wilson's work has been featured in national press reports.

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12/04 - Native American Workshops
On December 16, Cyndy Page will visit Wilmington Friends to conduct Native American drumming workshops with the IB Music Theory class and middle school music classes. Cyndy Page is of Creek and Choctaw descent, and leads drumming circles and educational programs throughout the community, including a workshop at the Delaware Women's Conference.

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12/04 - Phan Play Taught at Tufts
"The Don's Laundromat," a play written by English teacher Tuan Phan when he was an undergraduate at Cornell, is being taught in an Asian-American film and theatre class at Tufts University. Tuan Phan was invited to visit the class in early December to discuss the play, which he describes as a parody of "The Godfather."

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12/04 - Students, Teachers Participate in NAIS Conferences
Junior Naomi Nix and freshman Siedah El will participate in the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), from December 2-4 in Miami. Head of Lower School Peter Wenigmann and middle school math teacher Jorge Chavez will participate in the People of Color Conference, which is held at the same time as the student gathering. The People of Color Conference and the Student Leadership Diversity Conference serve as the flagship of NAIS's equity and justice initiatives. Special thanks to faculty member Frederic Skrzypek, who will serve as chaperone for the students attending.

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11/04 - Sixth Grade Choir News
The sixth grade choir will perform at the du Pont Hospital for Children on November 23. Sara Gaines, head of the performing arts department, will lead the trip.

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11/04 - Upper School Stages "The Music Man"
The annual upper school musical, Meredith Willson's The Music Man, directed by performing arts teacher Michelene McManus, will be performed on Friday November 19th at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, November 21st, at 2:00 p.m. The cast includes Ben Klein (Harold Hill), Dianne de le Veaux (Marian Paroo), Jeff Monhait (Mayor Shinn), Julie Moore (Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn), Carl Fritschel (Marcellus Washburn), Kelly Patton (Mrs. Paroo), James Maguire (Winthrop), Amelia Lyon (Amaryllis), Alex Dill (Zaneeta Shinn), The Quartet of Zac Dutton, Bill Kolodzey, social science/ESOL teacher Scott Rhodewalt, and religious studies coordinator Richard Bernard, and many others. The stage managers are seniors Nick Derke and Ricki Kaplan; senior Alex Dill helped develop and teach the choreography. Performing arts teacher Margaret Anne Butterfield is the music director and conducts the pit orchestra.

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11/04 - Friends Hosts NCISR Cluster Meeting
On November 12-13, Wilmington Friends hosted the regional gathering of the National Center for Independent School Renewal (NCISR). The theme for the conference was, "Exploring the Many Facets of Diversity." The opening panel discussion on Friday evening was led by Pastor Doug Gerdts of First & Central Presbyterian Church (site of the Wilmington Friends Preschool); Nancy Starmer, Head of George School; Lynne Howard, Chief of Staff for Wilmington City Council, member of the Wilmington Friends Board of Trustees, and parent of an alumnus; and Sandhya Karpe of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and parent of two current Friends students. Additional sessions continued on Saturday, with 45 members of the Friends faculty, along with guests from other schools, leading and participating in workshops.

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11/04 - Seventh Grade Trip to Washington, DC
On November 11, as part of an interdisciplinary study, which included reading The Diary of Anne Frank, the seventh grade class and teachers visited the national Japanese American Memorial and Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.

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11/04 - Volleyball Team Claims Conference Title
The Wilmington Friends girls' volleyball team earned its second straight conference championship, finishing the season undefeated among independent school rivals. The team reached the second round of the state tournament. Captains were seniors Ricki Kaplan, Kaci Loeffler, and Merideth Seitz. Bob Trinsey coached.

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11/04 - Mock Debate and Election
On October 29, as part of their social science study, ninth graders staged a mock political debate for an audience of middle school students. In addition to the presidential and vice presidential candidates from the two major political parties, students also portrayed U.S. Senate and House candidates from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Nevada. The audience was divided by grade to represent voters from those three states. Students also took on roles as debate organizers and moderators, reporters, and campaign staff. On November 1, the middle school students voted for the presidential, Senate, and House candidates of their choice.

Lower school also held a mock presidential election, organized by fifth graders. Students went through a process of voter registration and a secret ballot. Votes were tallied both individually and, in keeping with the national model, by classroom, with one electoral vote per room.

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11/04 - National Merit Scholarship Program
Seniors Peter Clemmer, James Melnick, and Kelly Patton have been named Semi-Finalists in the National Merit Scholar Program. Approximately 1.2% of the 1.3 million students nationwide who take the program's standardized test, qualify as semi-finalists. In addition, seniors Merrie Bentley, Bill Kolodzey, Martha MaloneyHuss, Jeff Monhait, and Joe Sheridan qualified as commended scholars.

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11/04 - Alumnus of the Year: Matt Meyer '90
Matt Meyer '90 was honored as Wilmington Friends School's Alumnus of the Year for 2004. Matt is a graduate of Brown University and the University of Michigan Law School, where he was a member of the law review. While at Brown, Matt spent a semester in East Africa, and visited Korogocho, a slum area of Nairobi.

With support from the Samuel Huntington Fund, Matt returned to Nairobi two years later, and with his friend Benson Wikyo, co-founded the Wikyo Akala Project, a non-profit business in Korogocho which manufactures sandals from used tires--"Ecosandals."

In 1998, Ecosandals nearly collapsed, when Benson Wikyo died at the age of 26. Matt kept the business going. Then in 2001, Ecosandals went online, and orders--and the work force--increased dramatically. The company now survives on its sales revenue.

Ecosandals received an award from the World Bank, and was the subject of a profile on CNN. In addition, for his work with Ecosandals, Matt received a 2003 National Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service, for "the Greatest Public Service by An Individual Thirty-Five Years or Under."

In 2003, Matt was awarded a prestigious Skadden Fellowship, which has allowed him to work through Legal Aid on another community-service project of his own design. In 2004, Matt was named as a finalist for a White House
Fellowship.

Matt also helped with the design and fall 2004 founding of a new law-themed high school in an under-served area of Brooklyn, New York.

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11/04 - Parents for Multiculturalism Event
On Friday, November 5, the Parents for Multiculturalism committee of the Home & School Association hosted a Caribbean dinner and participatory program called, "An Introduction to Healing Our Nation: Understanding the Impact of Prejudice and Race." The program was an excerpt of a 24-hour workshop based on the work of Rita Starr of the Healing Our Nation Institute in Chicago, and was presented by Lillian Jones-Chisolm and Sally Milbury-Steen of Pacem in Terris.

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10/04 - Borders Books & Music Fair a Success
The Wilmington Friends Borders Books and Music Fair, held over Halloween weekend at the Borders store in north Wilmington, was a great success, raising approximately $2,500 to support school programs. Students, parents, teachers, and school staff provided entertainment during the weekend, and 15% of all purchases made with a special coupon went to the Home & School Association.

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10/04 - Students go to (and sing in) the Opera
Student in Music Major (IB/SL) and Music and the Theatre courses attended the final dress rehearsal of Opera Delaware's Puccini's Turandot. Eighth grader Lara Wik, an accomplished vocalist who has performed internationally, was part of the cast.

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10/04 - Principal for a Day
On October 28, Wilmington Friends was pleased and proud to welcome community leader Mark Parsells to school, through the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce "Principal for a Day" program. Mark Parsells is Chairman, President, and CEO of Montpelier Ventures in Wilmington, and is also a Friends parent. He greeted students at morning drop-off at the lower school, observed classes in middle and upper school, and participated in upper school Meeting for Worship, as well as homeroom, recess, and meetings with administrators.

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10/04 - Vacca and Diop Present "World Rhythms"
Internationally known percussionists Tony Vacca and Massamba Diop visited Friends on October 25, leading assemblies for both an upper/middle school audience and a lower school audience. During both programs, the performers included students and faculty in their ensemble presentations of rhythms using percussion instruments from around the world.

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10/04 - Faculty Attend NCTM Conference
Friends faculty members participated in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Conference on October 14. Faculty reported information from workshops on a range of topics, including: brain research as related to math teaching, multi-cultural math activities, curriculum and assessments, algorithms and number sense, international practices in math teaching, using Unifix Cubes in data collection stations (for lower school students), and bar code deciphering--taught by a cryptographer from the National Security Agency.

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10/04 - Seventh Grade to Philadelphia Museum of Art
Seventh Graders traveled to Philadelphia to view a traveling exhibit on the theme of "African Art, African Voices," subtitled, "Long Steps Never Broke a Back." The exhibit, featuring work primarily from the Seattle Art Museum, included personal narratives, interactive media, and contextual information in its display of 130 objects such as sculpture, masks, textiles, jewelry, and photographs.

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10/04 - Grier-Reynolds Leads Educator Discussion
On October 10, Rick Grier-Reynolds, Head of the History/Social Science Department and IB Coordinator, participated in a curriculum panel and led a discussion on "Creating A Culture of Peace," as part of a national gathering of educators hosted by the William Penn House in Washington, DC.

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10/04 - German Teachers Tour WFS
Eight teachers from Germany, as part of an international professional and economic development program, visited Friends for the day on October 7. The visitors attended upper school classes, and were especially impressed by the student-led Business Meeting that day.

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10/04 - Sophomore Honored for Community Work
On October 13, sophomore Evan Plys was honored by the city of Camden, New Jersey, for organizing a summer baseball clinic for city youth. Evan worked with UrbanPromise, a faith-based organization, which provided transportation, and Hit Doctor, which provided facilities and instructors. Evan hopes to continue the clinic for the next four years. Evan was also chosen as New Jersey's only representative in a national baseball tournament to be held in Arizona.

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10/04 - MS Unveils "Math Wall"
A new Math Wall is featured in the middle school hallway, with information about Math League and Math Olympiad, as well as sign-ups for peer tutoring, TI graphic calculator tips, and a special problem of the week, with a prize. Middle school students can earn advanced standing in math, in part by participating in inter-scholastic and tutoring programs.

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9/04 - Business Meeting Officers for 2004-2005
The officers of the upper school Business Meeting (a Quaker form of community governance) were chosen last year and have resumed their duties, working toward the first Business Meeting of the year in October. The officers are: senior Jeff Monhait, clerk; senior Zac Rowen, agenda clerk; senior Hannah Beswick, secretary; and junior Sarah Bartle, treasurer. Additional agenda committee grade-level representatives were chosen to share proposals, questions, and concerns from students in their grades. In addition to the officers named above, representatives include freshmen Reity O'Brien and Rob Rizzo, sophomores Katie McEnroe and Maury Nolen, and junior Ethan Timmins-Schiffman.

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9/04 - Fall Sports Captains Chosen
The girls cross country team captain is senior Natalie Rosenberg; the boys cross country captains are seniors James Melnick and Andrew Pieper. The field hockey captains this fall are seniors Hannah Beswick and Jenny Pincus and sophomore Brooke Sheppard. Football captains are seniors Fazeel Khan, Jeff Scarborough, and Mike Dalton. Boys soccer captains are seniors Joe Sheridan and Nate Hoffman. In volleyball, varsity captains are seniors Merideth Seitz, Kaci Loeffler, and Ricki Kaplan, and JV captains are senior Emily Scott and junior Kate Walzack.

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