Quaker Matters.
Come see why.
Quaker Education
Linking the Classroom to the World
Wilmington Friends, a Quaker school with high standards for academic achievement, challenges students to seek truth, to value justice and peace, and to act as creative, independent thinkers with a conscious responsibility to the good of all. We are a private school serving students in preschool through 12th grade with a welcoming community for everyone.
Friends Education
Instilling Confidence and Empathy
Preparing students to learn, work, and lead
In a Fast-Changing World
Alumni Spotlight
Hear Our Stories
-
Rachel MacKelcan ’14
“I think the best thing that Friends prepared me for was being able to see the bigger picture. But for all that I learned within the walls of WFS, I learned that much more by participating in athletics and going on the ‘Dream Project’ service trip in the Dominican Republic. Seeing life through multiple lenses allowed me to tackle new situations much more confidently.”Read More
-
Laura Gates ’14
“I can’t stress enough how much I felt prepared, honestly, academically or otherwise for college. So many of my friends and classmates at Penn State really struggled academically, and I felt so overwhelmingly lucky for my WFS education.”Read More
-
Ernest Higginbotham II ’10
Read More“WFS provided me with a broad range of experiences and points-of-view to learn about and learn from. I have rarely felt like I could not contribute to a conversation or that I was uncomfortable in a different environment in large part because of the people I met and the perspectives we considered while I was a student at WFS.”
-
Martha O'Brien ’15
“Be comfortable with silence. Weekly meetings for worship, surrounded by my classmates and teachers, taught me the importance of not only embracing silence, but finding confidence in it. I try to replicate that sentiment in my daily life whether it's by practicing mediation or taking a few breaths before responding to opposing counsel in a law school competition.”Read More
-
Julia Blumberg ’15
“If I did not attend WFS for high school, I do not think I would be where I am now - I was a shy freshman when I started at WFS and I had zero confidence in myself, especially academically. All the faculty at WFS taught me to believe in myself and to not give it up. I find myself teaching my students the same things some of my teachers taught me at WFS, and it is a full circle moment for me. I think the teachers at WFS do a great job of fostering an inclusive environment and allowing for discussion to happen, and that helped me (especially during graduate school) to not be afraid to speak during class discussions or having tough conversations with friends or classmates.”Read More
-
Sloan Maas ’18
Read More"WFS prepared me by teaching and encouraging me to think for myself, form my own opinions, and problem solve. I also grew as both a student and as an individual during my time at Friends due to the immense amount of support from my teachers, coaches, and peers."
-
Hannah Beswick ’05
Read MoreHannah Beswick ’05 is a global affairs specialist, whose work has spanned the United Nations, government, and academia.
-
Ciara Graves ’16
“As a WFS lifer, one of the most important lessons I learned was to be patient and listen. After graduating college in the height of the pandemic, the future felt unstable and unknown—especially when it came to following my dream of working in the music industry. While I don’t regularly have Meeting for Worship anymore, the practice of reflecting, taking time to sit with my thoughts, and remaining patient, is something that has served me during these last couple of years. Being able to ‘just listen’ to others, or even your own thoughts instead of immediately reacting to any work/life situation, is one of the most powerful tools.”Read More
-
Ryan Broussard ’13
Read More“My time at Wilmington Friends helped me develop my creativity and leadership. It allowed me to be myself, and realize there are no limits to potential. There is value not only in education, but the relationships formed.”
-
100 Years of Girls' Athletics
Part 1 of 2Read More
As we celebrate 100 years of girls' athletics at Wilmington Friends School, here are some highlights from the first three decades.
-
Alex Rudin ’13
I attended Wilmington Friends School for 14 years, and by all accounts, I consider myself a “lifer.” WFS provided the bulk of my educational experience, which was the basis for my development as an artist and an activist. Throughout my attendance at Friends, certain core values such as integrity, community, equality, peace, stewardship, and simplicity were foundational.Read More
-
Ben Osbun '66
Ben has been involved with several non-profit organizations in and around Wilmington, including Wilmington Friends School, for the past 20 years.Read More
-
Bowman Benge ’13
“I think Wilmington Friends School pushes its students to try and pursue multiple interests.Read More
-
Cecilia Ergueta
2018Read More
At Friends since Kindergarten, Cecilia ’18 has interspersed her Humanities studies in California with experiential learning in Germany. After a gap year in Berlin teaching children cooking on a kitchen bus, she entered an intensive program in Classics & Philosophy and designed costumes for the repertory Shakespeare Company during her freshman year at Stanford. When the pandemic moved classes online, she joined a Berlin social enterprise as a Marketing Manager.
-
Daniel Joseph ‘02
“WFS taught me about teamwork and compassion when working on assignments and projects with multiple students. This was helpful in college and continues to be in the design world as it’s all about negotiation and teamwork!”Read More
-
David Linton
1978Read More
A big fan of the Stoic philosophers, David's mantra is: Strive, not arrive. Winner of both the Mendenhall and Bush awards, David played sports, sang in musicals, and acted at Friends. He finds the faculty to be the School's core asset. Harry Hammond and Rick Reynolds in particular influenced his development.
-
David Venarde ’83
"Most importantly, it helped me to value and appreciate silence and reflection, and I think it made me a better listener, which isn’t a bad thing in my line of work."Read More
-
Donovan Aldridge '18
Read More“Make yourself known in everything that you do. It’s very easy to get ‘lost in the numbers’ at a large university, so it is important that your professors are able to put a face to the name and that you make an honest impression. These connections that you make with professors, advisors, and coaches can last a lifetime and can open up new opportunities that you never knew existed or help you achieve experiences that you have always dreamed of . . . I am able to do what I love in a way that I never thought was possible because of these professors, advisors and coaches.”
-
Eleanor Napoli ’16
“I believe that the concept of active listening and learning was cultivated at WFS, and this included being open to feedback. Being willing (and knowing it’s okay!) to change your mind, and constructively disagreeing helped prepare me for post HS life. On the topic of seeing something differently, it was here that I learned that it is perfectly fine to disagree with someone or not see eye to eye, but it’s imperative for everyone’s personal growth and development to do so in a kind, respectful, and gracious way. I think this is the most powerful lesson I took away from Friends and one that I see necessary to practice daily in our world, now more than ever.”Read More
-
Elizabeth L. Haven ’72
Elizabeth L. Haven ’72 was a “sandwich” Friends student, between brother Ken Haven ’70 and sister Julie Haven Malloy ’80. At Friends, Liz was active in student government and was Senior Class President. She received the Bush Award and was a National Merit Scholar. After majoring in Geology at Harvard University, Liz graduated in 1976 and left for California, becoming the first female oilfield engineer for the Schlumberger Company. In 1980, Liz completed her M.S. degree in Engineering Geology from Stanford University. Also in 1980, she married fellow geologist Rick Humphreys, with whom she raised two daughters, now grown. Liz led a variety of water quality programs for California’s state government, culminating in the Deputy Director position charged with transferring the Safe Drinking Water Program in order to address the need for safe and affordable drinking water for disadvantaged communities. Now retired, Liz and her husband live in Windsor, California and enjoy hiking and camping with their dog in the beautiful countryside and beaches of Sonoma County.Read More
