Ernest Higginbotham II ’10 is a Mathematics Instructor at The Hill School.
“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.”
Ernest Higginbotham II ’10 graduated from Williams College in 2015 with his B.A. in Mathematics. During his time at Williams, Ernest lettered in both football and lacrosse. On the gridiron, the four-year letter winner was named a team captain in 2013 and worked as an assistant coach in 2014. Furthermore, Ernest twice served as a speaker on Claiming Williams Day, a day in which all classes are suspended and the campus engages in events and discussions about building and sustaining a more inclusive community. In 2021, he received his M.A. in Mathematics from Villanova University.
After working as a Select Services Representative at Vanguard for 18 months, Ernest transitioned careers in 2017 and began working as a Mathematics Instructor at The Hill School. In addition to his classroom responsibilities at Hill, he serves as Dorm Head and an assistant coach in football and girls’ basketball. Reflecting on his transition, Ernest states, “I chose to become a teacher because I wanted to help young people achieve their goals in all aspects of their life. I find this experience very challenging, but very rewarding. To be able to be a part of a student’s life in the classroom, on the athletics field, in the arts, and in the dorm allows me to see students grow and participate in that growth as well.”
Prior to his time at Williams, Ernest was a WFS student. At Friends, Ernest was a member of the football, basketball, and lacrosse teams while also being a member of the Black Student Union and Welcome Committee. A recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, he earned 11 varsity letters and served as a team captain in both basketball and lacrosse as a senior.
His advice to the Class of 2023? “Cherish the moments and work really hard! My best friends are the ones I made during high school and I think about the times we spent together often.”
Madeline Rowland ’23 (far left) and Sawyer Rowland (far right) caught up with Sara Clothier ’26 (middle) after their NESCAC field hockey matchup on Sunday afternoon. The Bowdoin College Polar Bears defeated the Williams College Ephs 1-0.
When Kristin Foss ’04 began teaching Social Justice at an international school in Taipei, Taiwan, she found herself thinking back to one of her most formative classes at WFS: Rick Grier-Reynolds’ Peace, Justice & Social Change course.
With no cross country team at Wilmington Friends School to speak of, members from the Class of 1976 took matters into their own hands. Determined to form a team and compete interscholastically, these students brought the WFS XC program to life by working with school leaders and the Delaware Association of Secondary Administrators (DASA).
Congratulations to Ava Steinberger ’23 (right) on being elected student body Co-President at Bates College!
Ava, a senior Philosophy major with a concentration in Film and Media Studies, has been involved in student government since her first year and is also a member of the Bates women’s tennis team.
Isabelle "Izzy" Miller '23 competed in Triathlon Nationals (Olympic distance) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this summer and finished 6th place in her category for Team USA, qualifying for Triathlon World Championships in Hamburg, Germany in September 2027!
Today’s throwback features four members from the Class of 2016, who helped make school history as they led the Wilmington Friends School Mock Trial team to its first State Championship!
Phil Crock ’23 (far left), along with two other Alvernia University mechanical engineering students, secured a provisional patent and first place in the collegiate division of the 24th Annual tecBridge Business Plan Competition. The team members earned $10,000 and $100,000 in in-kind services to continue growing their business, Learn2Inject.
Wilmington Friends School honored Lesley Dennis Tryon ’71 at Homecoming 2025 with the Outstanding Service Award in recognition of her more than three decades of dedicated service to the school community, her commitment to service as President of the Board for Survivors of Abuse in Recovery (SOAR), and as Treasurer for Friends of Bellevue State Park. She currently serves as Endowment and Finance Administrator at the Jewish Federation of Delaware.
Nathaniel Huxtable ‘22 (far right) and Eddie Micheletti Jr ‘20 reconnected after Eddie’s AA game in Reading, PA on July 5. Eddie’s New Hampshire Fisher Cats won 5-3 with Eddie going 1-2 with a single, two walks, and run scored from the cleanup position and played RF. In the July 4 weekend series, Eddie went 8-20 with two doubles, a triple, and a HR.
Congratulations to Grace Terrell ’24 on receiving the Kathryn George Tyree Innovation Fellow Award—recognizing an outstanding second-year student at Trinity College who demonstrates innovation, creativity, problem-solving, and forward-thinking entrepreneurship.
Congratulations to Evie Rademaker ’25 and the Wilmington University women’s lacrosse team on winning the 2026 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Championship for the first time in school history on Saturday!
Statement of Nondiscrimination as to Student Enrollment
Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.