Middle School Faculty Pursue Professional Development Opportunities
Middle School Faculty Pursue Professional Development Opportunities
Several middle school teachers and administrators recently had exciting professional development opportunities!
Dean for student life Logan Goodwin earned a certificate for participation in the “Restorative Practices for Educators” program run by the International Institute for Restorative Practices. From the description of this eight-hour course, "Building and strengthening relationships and community is a critical component of school culture. Restorative practices is an essential process for creating a positive learning environment, building social capital, and resolving relational issues.”
Chinese teacher Jianglin Shi presented at the Chinese Language Teacher Association annual conference in St. Louis. Her presentation entitled, Merge of Western Culture into Chinese Language Teaching: Practical Exploration in Chinese Teaching in Middle School, provided teachers with examples of how to meld real-world experiences like gardening, eating at restaurants, and traveling into the instruction and learning of the Chinese language.
Social science teacher John Hanson completed the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's “Geography and the Economy Teacher Training” certificate program. From the course description, “This two-evening professional development program introduces middle and high school educators to lessons for teaching about world geography and economics together. The lessons demonstrated in this program provide educators with grade-level appropriate activities for teaching about a wide range of geography and economics topics.”
While visiting Paris, Jimmy Butterfield ’20 and Liam Hudgings ’20 enjoyed a reunion at Fête de la Musique, the global free music festival held each June 21 to celebrate the summer solstice.
1st grade teacher Sia Willie won the Black Author Award from the Black Authors Association (BAA) for her children’s book, “Liberian Rice Bread. Be on the lookout for her book as it will be featured in Times Square later this summer. Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment, Sia!
Students traveled on a WFS Language Trip to Spain, exploring the country's rich history, culture, and regional diversity through experiences in Madrid, Granada, Córdoba, Sevilla, and the small town of Dílar.
What makes our school so special? Sometimes it's the people who choose to come back. Did you know that 15 members of 2025-2026 Wilmington Friends School faculty and staff are also WFS alumni?
Former WFS art teacher and parent of alum Cynthia Mellow returned to campus this spring, stepping in as a substitute for Teacher Teal and working with students in grades 1–5.
WFS staff member Javier Rodriguez stopped by 1st grade Spanish class where he taught them a traditional Mexican song and explained the origin and history of the piñata. After this, students had a blast taking turns swinging at the piñata. Thank you, Javier!
5th grade ukulele players took their music on the road during the final week of school, visiting classrooms to share a short performance and a little joy.
During the final week of school, 2nd and 3rd graders took their learning beyond the classroom, participating in hands-on experiences that brought history and social studies to life.
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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.