“I believe my time at WFS prepared me for success at CWRU both academically and athletically. Academically, the high rigor of WFS courses like AP Physics gave me a great foundation coming into CWRU. However, I think the most effective tool I learned from WFS was building relationships with teachers. Building relationships with teachers at CWRU has helped me monumentally with assignments and exams.”
Osi Chukwuocha ’22 is a junior student-athlete at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Osi recently accepted an internship at the NASA Glenn Research Center for the upcoming spring and summer months. During his internship, he will support NASA's Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) experiments and research two-phase flow in microgravity environments.
Osi helped lead the CWRU football team to a 6-4 record this season. He started each contest at cornerback, registering 37 tackles, a team-high two interceptions, and six pass break-ups. For his efforts, Chukwuocha received 2nd Team All-Conference honors. Reflecting on the lessons he learned as an athlete at WFS, Chukwuocha noted, “One principle I learned at Wilmington Friends that has helped me face the challenges of college sports is ‘Forget it and Drive On’ (FIDO). This principle was taught to me by Coach T and it essentially advises you that you can’t change anything bad that has already happened, so instead, forget about the past and focus on what you can do to change the future. FIDO has been especially helpful for me in adjusting to switching my position to cornerback. Cornerback is a very stressful position because any small mistake can lead to big plays for the other team so when I do make mistakes, I think of FIDO to help clear my mind and mitigate them for the rest of the game.”
Adrian Burston, a former Friends teacher and Vice President of the Kennett Underground Railroad Center, and Debbie Burston, board member of the Kennett Underground Railroad Center, presented to 10th grade American History students about the local history of the Underground Railroad and the involvement of Quakers in the local abolition movement.
Lower School Spanish teacher Lara Munch spent her sabbatical exploring the intersection of culture, history, and language—both within the United States and abroad.
Middle School Spanish teacher Laura Jersild Pardo ’90 explored nature and the brain in a de-natured culture, asking how embodied, real-world experiences shape mental health, creativity, and problem-solving.
On the evening of Friday, October 3, more than 200 guests gathered in the Library Learning Commons for a night of community, music, and recognition. Guests enjoyed dinner and a lively performance from the Upper School Jazz Band. The program then turned to celebrating this year’s alumni honorees, who all let their lives speak in their own ways.
Today, seniors met their first-grade buddies for the first time in the 2025–26 school year! First graders shared stories from their first month of school with their buddies, then collaborated on creative art projects together.
Thank you to all in our community for a wonderful Homecoming 2025! It was great to have so many current families, alumni, and friends on campus for the festivities. Please visit our SmugMug site for even more photos (password can be found in the Friends on Friday message).
On National Coaches Day, check out this amazing trio of alumnae coaches (Nat Bush ’22, Dani Nathan ’19, and Mariah Aldridge ’21) on the WFS volleyball sidelines! Special thanks to all of our coaches at each level who make a difference in the lives of our student-athletes every day. Go Blue!
Fourth graders became geologists this week! Given samples of unknown minerals, they put their observation and problem-solving skills to work by examining properties such as texture, color, and shape—then testing hardness to identify each mineral sample.
For Spirit Week Sports Connections, upper and middle school athletes visited the lower school, introducing students to cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, and volleyball.
Last week, our middle schoolers took part in their annual Bonding Day, though our seventh graders might argue that “Building Day” is a more appropriate name.
At WFS, our early learning program lays the foundation for student-initiated exploration, creative thinking, collaboration, and a learning community rooted in mutual respect and responsibility.
With over 45 clubs and committees, WFS upper school students have endless opportunities to get involved, build leadership skills, and pursue their passions beyond the classroom.
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.