News

WFS boys’ soccer players welcomed lower school students at carline and helped walk them to their classrooms. They also joined in games on the playground, from soccer to basketball, before the start of classes. From carline to classroom to playground, WFS students of all ages share experiences that foster joy and connection.

Now that most of our seniors have completed their college essays and the Common Application, they are meeting with their WFS college counselor to finalize their college list and plan next steps.

 

 

The WFS volleyball program honored the life and legacy of Coach Bob Trinsey last night. Since 1999, Bob and the Trinsey family have shaped Wilmington Friends School volleyball into one of the state’s most respected programs.

Last week, Jimmy Butterfield’s ’20 band (second from left), Butterfield, played in Eakins Oval in front of the Philly Art Museum. They were the first band on the R&B After Dark Series that night. Mark McMillan ‘20 (far left) and Jack Hanson ‘18 (far right) came to hear them play and had a blast together!

Thank you to our incredible Building Services and Grounds teams for all the behind-the-scenes work that makes our campus ready to welcome students back!

The first day of school is here, and lower school students were so excited to greet their friends and teachers on this beautiful morning! Welcome back, friends!

Thank you to all of the new families who joined us for last night’s New Parent & Guardian Reception! Guests were welcomed by Head of School Ken Aldridge, connected with members of the Home & School Association, and learned about the many ways to get involved in our community.

 

A big thanks to our Home & School Association for helping organize this event, greeting families, and sharing the numerous ways they help enhance life at WFS. We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to all that we will do together!

Check out the earliest image of Friends Lower School children — taken in 1891 in the kindergarten room. Friends' School had the second kindergarten class in Delaware and, for several years, served as a “normal” or training school for kindergarten teachers. The teacher pictured here is Katharine Clark.

Our Lower School teachers have begun moving into their cottages this week and are so excited to welcome everyone back. See you soon! 

As your student enters adolescence, you may be wondering how your role in their academic life should evolve.

 

When researching private schools, attending an admissions open house event is a great opportunity for your family to tour campuses and see where your child could spend their days. 

And while facilities conducive to learning and state-of-the-art resources are important, families should also look beyond the physical environment. A school’s true strength lies in its culture and academic program.

If your child is pursuing higher education, at some point you might feel compelled to step into, and perhaps even manage, their college application process.

The mastery program in middle school is a semester or year-long, student-initiated and student-produced project designed to develop that student's talents, interests, and skills. The emphasis is on achievement and completing a finished product that is either presented or displayed publicly in a polished, masterful way. Mastery projects may include academic research papers, visual and performing arts projects or performances, special teaching units, and physical projects.

 

So much laughter and fun (for the grown ups, too!) at this week's lower school field days. Bring on summer! For more photos, visit our Smugmug page (password can be found in the Friends on Friday message). Photos courtesy of WFS Yearbook

Celebrations for the Class of 2025 have begun, and last night was Senior Exploration Night, where members of the Class of 2025 presented the projects they’ve been working on for the last month.

Our final Lower School Culture Quest was a celebration of Juneteenth! Students explored the significance of Juneteenth through hands-on activities, music, food, and arts and crafts. It was a fun and meaningful way to learn about and honor this important day!

Our Pre-K students took the stage last week with their performance of "Zog and the Flying Doctors" by Julia Donaldson! Each spring, pre-kindergarteners put on a play to celebrate how much they have grown since September. From choosing their own roles to working as a team, our young performers showed that you're never too small to be part of something big.

 

 

This week, WFS proudly welcomed student and teacher visitors from Calmare International School in Kalmar, Sweden—Wilmington’s sister city! 

 

 

Congratulations to our IB Art and Visual Arts Major students, who welcomed friends and family to the opening of their exhibition, showcasing works from the portfolios they have developed over the past two years.

 

College readiness is more than academic achievement—it's about independence, resilience, and developing life skills. When exploring high schools, look for programs that focus not only on academic excellence but also on essential life skills. Here are five key areas where high schools can make a meaningful difference in preparing your student for college (and beyond):

Last night, WFS honored the Class of 2025 International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates during the annual Celebration of Scholarship. Each student delivered a 3–5 minute presentation reflecting on their growth through the program’s core components: Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay. The evening highlighted the depth of thought, dedication, and inquiry that define the IB experience at Wilmington Friends School.

 

 

The WFS Mock Trial team had an outstanding performance at this year's state competition, finishing second in the state!

 

The Upper School Jazz Band recently had the opportunity to work with Blayne Salerni in a workshop on improvisation. Mr. Salerni, the band director at Smyrna Middle School, has led jazz improvisation workshops throughout Delaware for middle and high school students, as well as music educators

 

 

 

As children move from early childhood into elementary school, helping them through challenges and opportunities might feel more complicated.

The HL IB Biology students were working on data collection for their internal assessment. Each student has formulated a research question and designed an experiment to attempt to answer the question. All the experiments are biological and include topics such as investigating plant propagation, germination, enzyme activity, fermentation, antibiotic resistance, and many others.

 

The WFS Upper School Student Run Production is a yearly tradition where students create, direct, produce (and often write) their own vision for the stage. This year’s production, Yellow Wallpaper, is being directed and led by two seniors. Yellow Wallpaper was adapted from the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

 

8th grade students have been working hard on their annual musical. On February 28, students will perform, High School Musical, for the entire school to see. Each member of the class participates—as a member of the cast, pit band, stage crew, or technical crew. 

“My experience at Wilmington Friends School set me up for success by providing challenging coursework that required critical thinking. Learning how I learned and figuring out a process that worked for me was one of the most important things because regardless of what you want to major in or what sport you want to play at a higher level, you will need to learn the information and how to apply it when it is necessary. Friends helped me facilitate my learning process, and I’ve continued to adapt and improve it based on the situation.”

 

Middle school students had a blast on the slopes of Blue Mountain during one of our beloved WFS traditions, the middle school ski trip.

For several years, Michael Anello, Executive Director of the Haiti Reforestation Partnership, has visited with WFS middle schoolers to speak about the organization's work and how reforestation has led to incredible environmental and community development in Haiti. We were recently forwarded this email from Michael, which speaks to our students and the power of even the smallest acts.