As part of our most recent professional development day, faculty and staff were then joined by Emmy award winner Mark Scharenbroich, who has visited more than 3,500 schools in his career.
He stressed the importance of people feeling connected in a caring community where everyone is valued, and where everyone is acknowledged, honored, and connected. Teachers should "Make a deposit in student's memory bank, large or small."
Faculty and staff also had the opportunity to hear from fellow colleagues Micheline McManus and Kate Hendrix regarding the trips they were able to take as part of our O'Reilly Travel Grant program.
Micheline, who teaches upper school English, traveled to Paris where she studied five authors who lived in and wrote about Paris from Richard Wright to Jean Paul Sartre. While studying Sartre, Micheline stayed in the hotel where he lived, visited the cafe where he would do his writing, and went to his grave. She is excited to introduce some of the new texts she studied into her curriculum.
Kate, who is the middle and upper school head librarian, traveled to Dublin, Belfast, and Edinburgh where she attended the International Librarians Conference. There, she was able to share what we are doing at school with librarians across the world. "We're doing a great job here at Friends," Kate said. "Talking at round table discussions, people were taking notes and really interested in the programs I was describing." Kate was also able to participate in some sight-seeing activities including hiking, where she connected with a stranger and learned, "The power of telling our stories to another person is part of our humanity. Being on the receiving end of that is a gift."
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Saturday’s Home & School Back-to-School Picnic, and to the volunteers who made it possible! From bouncy houses to face painting and dance parties, the afternoon was filled with laughter and joy.
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, we officially celebrated the opening of our reimagined lower school campus! Guests gathered in the lobby and checked out the beautiful panda donor wall.
HL IB Biology year two students used CRISPR/Cas9 technology in their latest gene knockout lab to disrupt a gene in bacteria and observe a phenotypic change as a result.
The library was jam-packed with students this morning during the annual upper school Clubs and Committees Fair! During the fair, students have forty minutes to learn about the numerous clubs and committees on campus (we had over 50 during last school year).
WFS juniors who are beginning the International Baccalaureate Diploma program gathered for dinner to learn more about what's next in their academic journey. The IB emphasizes high academic standards, global perspective, informed and engaged citizenship, respect for others, and the active application of classroom experience.
Middle school Chinese teacher Jianglin Shi presented at the Delaware Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (DECTFL) Conference at the University of Delaware.
The WFS college counseling team began welcoming colleges and universities to campus this week, hosting representatives from 24 schools. Interested junior and senior students can attend these meetings to introduce themselves to regional admissions representatives, learn more about the institutions, ask questions, and share their interest in the schools.
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.