Wilmington Friends School offers an unsurpassed academic program, and just as important, it is a great place to grow up.
There is no “typical” Friends School student or family. We recognize diversity of thought, identity, and experience as essential to both academic excellence and the character of our community.
Our teachers know our students. They provide individual attention and are deeply invested in students’ growth and success. Because they are known as individuals, students are able to discover and develop the best in themselves. Because they are valued and held to high standards as members of a community, students are motivated to contribute and to lead.
For parents, Friends is a great place to join with other families who share a commitment to education that inspires the best in each student while fostering an active responsibility to the good of all.
Beth McClelland Lutostansky '88 recently presented to a packed house of upper schoolers––including those in the Environmental Science class and the STEMinist Club––on her career in the energy industry.
Lower school music teacher Katie Martinenza and nine students from fifth grade participated in the 2023 Delaware ACDA Children’s Honor Choir Festival at Newark High School.
Reverend Karla Fleshman and her colleague, Finn, presented to seventh graders a long-awaited and much-requested workshop on gender identity, gender expression, and creating “affirming and safer space for LGBTQIA+ students.”
The upper school World Affairs Club welcomed New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer '90, who spoke to students about the role of the state/county legislature, with a focus on the HOPE Center in Wilmington, whose mission is to house and support individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and the GreeNCC initiative, a county-wide program aimed at improving the environment and enhancing the quality of life in New Castle County.
International Baccalaureate art majors and higher level visual arts students traveled to Washington, D.C. to view artwork at the Hirshhorn Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of African Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Museum of Asian Art.
Last week, our preschool Kangas explored the Delaware Art Museum. Students spent time in the children's area and went on a special color scavenger hunt throughout the galleries!
Happy Panda Day is such a great send off to Spring Break--lower school students met with Ivy the therapy dog, made friendship bracelets, hunted for leprechauns, and practiced yoga, all in the comfort of their pajamas!
As part of their unit on the constitution, eighth grade students recently met with WFS parent Eliza Hirst, an Assistant Public Defender in Delaware's Office of Defense Services.
Last week, the Class of 2025 visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture as part of their continuing study of American history.
Last week, middle and upper school students participated in a happiness challenge organized by the Quaker Cares Committee, which focused on positive relationships with family and friends.
Fourth and fifth grade students enjoyed their visit with Adam Perry, author of The Thieving Collectors of Fine Children's Books, The Magicians of Elephant County, Ghost Come Rising, and more!
To highlight Black historical figures that lower schoolers learn about throughout the year, students created posters based on biographies to present what information they learned.
Thank you to all who came out and supported the Home & School Used Book Sale! Over 55 volunteers - adults and students alike - moved, sorted, and sold books, games, CDs and DVDs, and had a great time in the process. Shoppers found new books to add to their libraries, with one staff member saying it was her favorite day of the year!
Fifth grade students have been enjoying "Girls Who Code," a national program for students that serves as a sisterhood of supportive peers and role models using computer science to change the world.
As organizations around the world continue to rely on ever-changing technology for their day-to-day operations, it should come as no surprise that computer science has become increasingly more popular in high school and college curricula. But computer science can also be taught to even the youngest students, beginning with simple coding, the process of writing instructions for a computer to follow a series of commands. And the earlier they begin, the sooner students build the following fundamental skills that will carry into their future academic success and even into their professional lives:
Meditation and breathing exercises can’t tackle your to do list, but they can help you calm down and center you to start again. Here are some wellness tips to help you slow down and do your best as you approach mid-terms or finals.
Deciding to invest in a private school education for your rising middle schooler can feel like an onerous process, and when assessing a school, it’s natural to want to look at college lists, standardized test scores, and advanced coursework offerings to help inform your decision. There is comfort in the concrete, and these things can be good data points. But how will you know if a school values development of the whole child and provides an environment that develops students to become their best selves?
“It’s mine!” “No, it’s mine!” “No it’s not, it’s MINE!” Your blood pressure starts rising as you hear your kids yelling at each other in the other room. Again. For what seems like the fiftieth time today. How can you keep your cool and break what often feels like a never-ending cycle of conflict with your kids?
As school supply lists are distributed and classroom teachers announced, many parents are beginning to think about the new school year. Some may be a little nervous about how the transition from summer to school will go for their child, and we have a few simple tips that could help.
Whether as a participant or a fan, when we think of our experiences with athletics growing up, big moments come to mind, from the game-winning field goal that propelled our team to the state championship game to the final shot at the buzzer that sent us home. Moments like these become lifelong memories that help define our adolescent years.
Click Here for Summer Math Fun! Summertime provides a great opportunity to positively impact your child’s math journey. It’s a time to brush up on skills and develop them further. It’s also a time to explore math fun in real world situations. Whether you are looking for creative ways to spend days at home or during travel, the following activities will surely bring math confidence and family fun! (These activities are best for children in elementary school.)
90% of the students who attend Wilmington Friends are non-Quakers. What brings families to Quaker education is often the appeal of an academic program with depth--one that truly asks students to think, to collaborate, to be creative, to take risks--within a caring community that balances focus on the individual with responsibility to the common good.
This mission cultivates four major outcomes for students who attend Wilmington Friends School.
Many of us are familiar with Advanced Placement or “AP” courses in high schools, and oftentimes we see “AP” grouped with “IB” in references to more challenging coursework. But what exactly does IB stand for, and what does it mean for a child’s education?
Many of us are interested in volunteering, but with the demands on our time and attention these days, community service and engagement can easily be placed on the back burner. Now more than ever there is a whole range of needs out there, and it’s never been easier to get involved. It just takes a little bit of planning to make that first step, and here are a few tips that may help:
With an overload of parenting advice available in a world that seems to be ever-changing for adolescents, we are sharing our tips for you to help your child as they navigate middle school.
If your child is pursuing higher education, at some point in their high school career you will likely feel compelled to step into, and perhaps even manage, their college application process. But when, how, and to what extent should parents and guardians be involved? What is the right balance to keep the integrity of the process belonging to the child and not the adults? Here are seven ways you can help your high schooler navigate this journey primarily on their own while lending valuable support.
Our new podcast shines a light on what make WFS such a vibrant and unique learning community that allows students to, in the words of George Fox, "let their lives speak."
Videos
WFS in action! Check out videos of all that's happening at Friends!