This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Hobart, Tasmania for a month-long exchange trip. The program included classes at The Friends School (TFS), a fellow Quaker school in Hobart, as well as weekend excursions throughout the island.
I traveled with three other sophomores from Abington Friends in Philadelphia. The trip began with 24 hours on a plane to fly from New York to Hobart with layovers in Los Angeles and Melbourne. Upon landing, we met our host families and started settling into the laid-back Australian lifestyle.
School at TFS was significantly different than WFS. There were more options in elective courses such as sports science, dance, and cooking, which gave me the ability to try new classes. Classes there were slightly larger in comparison to those here which took a little bit of getting used to, but eventually, I came to enjoy having so many opinions in one room. They also didn’t have homework which was surprising to me. One of the major differences was that the school was split into four “houses.” The houses competed against each other in various competitions including drama, athletics, and more. The winner of each event earned points for their house. This was really interesting because the students were all very devoted to their house and wanted to earn as many points as possible. They also offered other sports, such as Aussie rules football, netball, and crew, that aren’t available at WFS. I took advantage of the fact that they only practiced once a week and tried them all. While I don’t think that I’ll be taking up any of these sports in the near future, I appreciated being able to try things that I would not have the opportunity to try here. It was really interesting to me that sports were a lot more low-key and relaxed.
Each weekend I was able to take trips to see some of the most memorable parts of the island. Some of these included hiking through Shipstern Bluff, visiting the MONA museum, and exploring the top of Mt. Wellington. We also took a day trip to a local animal conservatory so I could see all the native wildlife including kangaroos, Tasmanian devils, wombats, and echidnas. All of these places were very different from each other, but I noticed that they all value nature a lot. During these trips, I also noticed some cultural differences, including a lot of colloquial language and a relatively relaxed way of life in comparison to the constant busyness many of us experience daily.
This winter, I will have the opportunity to reconnect with a member of my host family, Eloise, who will stay with us for a month. She will be involved in the WFS culture both academically and athletically. We also expect to do trips to Philadelphia, New York, and Washington DC to show her some of the highlights of the East Coast. I’m definitely looking forward to reconnecting with both my host family and the other exchange students.
Sixth graders recently spent time off campus for a morning of service activities in the local community. These trips included volunteering at the Food Bank of Delaware, Faithful Friends Animal Rescue, Rockland Place, Guardian Angels Daycare, and Alapocas State Park.
During Earth Day at WFS, preschoolers worked on beautifying their playground and fourth graders picked up trash around the athletic facilities. We thank these students for their stewardship!
The lower school recently received soil from WasteWell, a local company that collects the lower school's compost. Students used the soil to re-pot classroom plants and will also contribute soil to the school garden!
Before the Class of 2024 heads off on their senior explorations next week, they attend a series of seminars ("Senior Seminars") aimed at giving them tools for adulthood.
The WFS Model UN Club, accompanied by faculty advisor Nick Childers, recently sent a delegation of five students to the inaugural Tower Hill Model UN Conference.
Upper school environmental science students built model carbon capture algae farms as part of their study of climate change mitigation. They developed ways to measure algae growth using microscopes and a spectrophotometer.
Congratulations to our community members who performed at last night's Informal Concert! This concert is designed to showcase the talent of our students, parents, and faculty in an informal, yet serious, chamber concert or recital format.
Wilmington Friends School hosted its second 275th Anniversary Webinar series on Monday, April 8, titled “Leadership, Teamwork, and Quaker Values from the World of Sports."
Congratulations to eighth graders Maya Dobson, Lindsey Forman, Cooper Miller, Victor Montejo, Levi Sawdon, and Sofia Velastegui-Fratticci who contributed to IMAZINE 2023, the annual Delaware Libraries teen literary and artistic magazine! Click here to check it out.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the upper school play, Radium Girls! This fast-paced ensemble piece featured 14 student actors playing multiple roles to create more than 30 characters. Bravo!
WFS welcomed Drew Smith, the Executive Director of Friends Council on Education, to campus to lead a discussion among our community members titled “275 Years of Quaker Education: What's it all about? Quakerism 101 for Parents.”
Each year, 3rd grade students utilize computer-aided design software (CAD) to replicate a renowned landmark from the various states that they are studying in Social Studies
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.