“Cultivation of sitting in silence, listening to the voices of spirit within and around me, through meeting for worship. This foundational contemplative practice, which led me to Buddhism, Integral Spirituality and beyond, is the basis of my music, psychotherapy, and teaching.”
Willow Pearson Trimbach ’88 earned a BA from Stanford University in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and went on to receive an MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Music Therapy from Naropa University, followed by a PsyD in Clinical Psychology from The Wright Institute.
Now a licensed clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and nationally board-certified music therapist, Willow leads a private practice—Integral Relational Psychotherapy—based in the East Bay of Northern California. She also serves as Director of Clinical Training and Core Faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. In addition to her clinical and academic work, Willow is a published author and singer/songwriter; her second book, The Emotional Truth of Dreams: Learning from Dream Dialogues in Psychotherapeutic and Spiritual Practice, co-authored with Eva Tuschman Leonard, is set to be released by Routledge in 2026. Her eighth album, Caesura's Cry, is set to be released by Lionessroars this July.
Her advice to the Class of 2025? “Your unique contributions to the world emerge from the places where passion and service join.”
A dual recipient of the Mendenhall Award for Service and the Bush Award for Character, Scholarship, and Service in 1988, Willow continues to embody these values. As she puts it, “I cannot do everything, but I can do something”—a line from her senior page that continues to guide her today.
At the start of summer break, 15 Wilmington Friends Upper School students traveled to El Paso, Texas, as part of a QUEST Term Service/Leadership Trip. This immersive experience combines global education, leadership development, and community engagement.
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.
Thank you for joining us for the Alumni & Friends baseball, lacrosse, and soccer games this past Saturday! It was a fun day of friendly competition, school spirit, and reconnecting with the WFS community—whether you were back on the field or cheering from the sidelines.
We hope you'll stop by campus to catch a game or say hello next year!
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
For Mental Health Awareness Month, middle and upper school students answered the question "How will you take care of your wellness this summer?" The Quaker Cares committee then created a vision board with the many responses!
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!
We wrapped up our spring concert series today with a preschool "informance," where our youngest students showcased their singing, dancing, and instrument playing!
One of our most beloved spring traditions...the middle school 5K! Costumed students (everything from the cast of Scooby Doo to famous athletes) walked and ran the Alapocas neighborhood all to benefit a good cause.
L-T Alleyne '26 sparked a chain of kindness in our upper school with a simple idea: write a thoughtful note to someone you don’t usually talk to—and pass it on. Thanks to everyone who took part, this sweet gesture made its way through our community, one kind message at a time.
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.
We’re proud to share that WFS middle school Chinese teacher Jianglin Shi recently attended the 2025 Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA) Annual Conference in New York City. Jianglin co-presented a session titled "Gamifying the Chinese Program With AI-Enhanced Learning and Hands-On Games," highlighting innovative approaches to language instruction!
Congratulations to Henrik Maansson '27, Lindsey Forman '28, L-T Alleyne '26, and Landis Hershey '26, along with Mia Davenport '25 and Jordyn Moore '26 (not pictured), for being recognized by the Delaware Chapter of the Scholastic Writing and Arts Awards for their outstanding writing!
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.