“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.
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.