Grayton Downing ’14 is a first-year General Pediatrics Resident at Nemours Children Hospital.
“Throughout college I spent my summers volunteering at Nemours Hospital and since then, I always dreamed of working there as a physician.”
This dream is now a reality for Grayton Downing ’14 as she recently matched with Nemours Children’s Hospital and is currently in her first-year working as a General Pediatrics Resident! Grayton, who always knew that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine and spent her senior exploration at WFS shadowing local doctors, is most inspired by the patients themselves. She states, “I absolutely adore working with pediatric patients because they are some of the most inspiring patients. Despite being sick in the hospital, they never fail to bring a smile to my face and they light up the whole hospital. I also love pediatrics because we really focus on treating the whole family. At Nemours we make sure siblings, parents, and relatives all feel like they are a part of the medical team.”
A proud graduate of Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University (with Alpha Omega Alpha honors), Grayton spent her undergraduate career at Haverford College where she majored in Biology and minored in Psychology. Outside of the classroom, she was a member of the women’s lacrosse team. During her career, she started 31 games for the Black Squirrels, was a two-year member of the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll, and was a member of the IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll in 2017.
Prior to her time on Lancaster Avenue, Grayton was a member of the WFS community. An IB student at WFS, she also made her presence felt on the athletic fields as she earned All-Conference honors in both field hockey and lacrosse. When asked to reflect on her Friends experience, Grayton is thankful for a variety of reasons. She notes, “WFS not only prepared me academically for college, but they helped me learn how to think critically and taught me how to search for answers and ask for help when needed. I love how WFS fosters a collaborative learning environment between students and teachers, this is something I took with me to college!”
Her advice to the Class of 2023 as they embark on the college process? “When preparing for college, trust your gut and your friends and family around you. You are beyond prepared for college after coming from WFS and wherever you chose to go next will set you up for the future you want as long as you continue to stay motivated.”
Students, faculty, and staff gathered for an all-school Meeting for Worship on Mellor Field and sat in a 275-configuration to commemorate the School's anniversary! Click here to download the photo.
The WFS boys' lacrosse team was invited to run a clinic with students at Ferris School. The Delaware Lacrosse Foundation and several members of the WFS community helped found the lacrosse team at Ferris seven years ago, and players have found the exchange very rewarding as they share their love of the game.
Seventh grade Chinese students visited Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library to learn more about its Chinese wallpaper and book collection, helping the students gain valuable insight into Chinese history and culture.
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!
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.