Hunter Witmer ’10 currently serves as a General Surgery Resident at the University of Chicago Medicine.
“One of the greatest lessons I took from Friends was how to think critically, which has served me well throughout my educational journey and into the professional world. It’s truly a skill that is valuable regardless of what you do in life. Some of the most intelligent people I’ve met along the way are those that can clearly understand the key elements of a problem and move forward accordingly without losing sight of the big picture… To the Class of 2022, be honest with yourself about what is important to you. This does not mean knowing what you want to ‘be’ or ‘do’ in the future, but instead knowing what your values are which usually takes some hard thinking and introspection. I don’t think there’s been a major decision I’ve had to make where knowing what my priorities were hasn’t helped clarify the right choice.”
Hunter Witmer ’10 graduated from Haverford College with his degree in Molecular Biology in 2014. While at Haverford, he was a member of the varsity mens’ lacrosse program and was a three-year member of the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll. In addition to his exploits on the lacrosse field, Hunter studied abroad at University College Dublin in Ireland for one semester. Prior to his time at Haverford, Hunter was a proud member of the Wilmington Friends School community. While at Friends, he was a member of the varsity football and lacrosse teams, earned his IB diploma, participated in Jazz band, and volunteered with Special Olympics.
After his time at Haverford, Hunter earned his MD from Jefferson Medical College in 2018 and currently serves as a General Surgery Resident at the University of Chicago Medicine. While at Jefferson, he was the Dunglison Learning Society President, the Gibbon Surgical Society President, and the Founder of the Gibbon Surgical Review periodical. Hunter, who has always had a strong desire to help others, loves his work because, “Surgery gives you more in return. It gives you fresh challenges every day and the opportunity to work as a part of a multidisciplinary team with a shared mission. You get to be a confidant, an educator and a counselor without any ceiling for what you can become or achieve. You can never confidently say that you have fully reached your potential and can always find ways to improve your approach. Most importantly, however, it gives me a sense of purpose knowing that what I work so hard for does in fact make a difference.”
Congrats, Hunter!
Pictured: Hunter at work; Hunter at his wedding with groomsmen Reed Salmons ‘10, Eric Kelley ‘10, and Ernest Higginbotham ‘10; and Hunter during his time playing football at WFS.
Lower School Spanish teacher Lara Munch spent her sabbatical exploring the intersection of culture, history, and language—both within the United States and abroad.
Middle School Spanish teacher Laura Jersild Pardo ’90 explored nature and the brain in a de-natured culture, asking how embodied, real-world experiences shape mental health, creativity, and problem-solving.
On the evening of Friday, October 3, more than 200 guests gathered in the Library Learning Commons for a night of community, music, and recognition. Guests enjoyed dinner and a lively performance from the Upper School Jazz Band. The program then turned to celebrating this year’s alumni honorees, who all let their lives speak in their own ways.
Today, seniors met their first-grade buddies for the first time in the 2025–26 school year! First graders shared stories from their first month of school with their buddies, then collaborated on creative art projects together.
Thank you to all in our community for a wonderful Homecoming 2025! It was great to have so many current families, alumni, and friends on campus for the festivities. Please visit our SmugMug site for even more photos (password can be found in the Friends on Friday message).
On National Coaches Day, check out this amazing trio of alumnae coaches (Nat Bush ’22, Dani Nathan ’19, and Mariah Aldridge ’21) on the WFS volleyball sidelines! Special thanks to all of our coaches at each level who make a difference in the lives of our student-athletes every day. Go Blue!
Fourth graders became geologists this week! Given samples of unknown minerals, they put their observation and problem-solving skills to work by examining properties such as texture, color, and shape—then testing hardness to identify each mineral sample.
For Spirit Week Sports Connections, upper and middle school athletes visited the lower school, introducing students to cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, and volleyball.
Last week, our middle schoolers took part in their annual Bonding Day, though our seventh graders might argue that “Building Day” is a more appropriate name.
At WFS, our early learning program lays the foundation for student-initiated exploration, creative thinking, collaboration, and a learning community rooted in mutual respect and responsibility.
With over 45 clubs and committees, WFS upper school students have endless opportunities to get involved, build leadership skills, and pursue their passions beyond the classroom.
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.