For several years, Michael Anello, Executive Director of the Haiti Reforestation Partnership, has visited with WFS middle schoolers to speak about the organization's work and how reforestation has led to incredible environmental and community development in Haiti. We were recently forwarded this email from Michael, which speaks to our students and the power of even the smallest acts.
Over the last few years, Bill Hathaway, our long serving Board Chair, has repeatedly arranged for me to visit the Wilmington Friends School in Delaware. I have thoroughly enjoyed these sessions with seventh graders. It is such an interesting point of comparison to talk with students in a highly academic Quaker school and to think about the CODEP school in Haiti. In each case, the students are bright, hardworking, and eager to engage in the world.
On my last visit, I spent some time explaining that Haiti has been exploited for years and while it’s helpful to send relief support, we are working on making change that is deeper and more lasting. I also made the point that everyone can help with that work – even if they can only give a penny.
After the session, a girl came up to ask a question. As we spoke, she extended her hand and gave me a penny. “You said that even a penny would help.”
It’s true. The reason that even a penny matters is that it is the act of giving that truly matters. Even the smallest demonstrations of interest put a spark of energy into the system. If a child shows that she cares, we are all challenged to join her. And what a difference that makes.
First Grade Grub Hub is open for business! After visiting the Sunday Breakfast Mission last week, WFS first graders were inspired to create their own restaurant to support the community pantry.
Seventh grade Chinese students visited Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library to learn more about its Chinese wallpaper and book collection, helping the students gain valuable insight into Chinese history and culture.
WFS Middle and Upper School Learning Resources Coordinator Stella Mask recently presented to a packed house at the MCRC@ADVIS (Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools) DEIJB Conference.
Congratulations to sophomores Easton Martinenza, Teagan Grubb, and Decker Reitemeyer for earning spots in this summer's prestigious Delaware Governor's School for Excellence (DGSE) Program.
WFS 6th and 7th graders recently traveled in their service groups to different locations: the Delaware Food Bank; Faithful Friends Animal Society; Guardian Angels Daycare; Rockland Place Assisted Living; the Materials Resource Center in Ephrata, Pennsylvania; and Alapocas State Park.
The end-of-year senior traditions have begun, with the Class of 2025 signing the Senior Scroll and receiving their WFS laundry bag. This tradition has been a part of the senior class spring for more than 25 years!
Congratulations to our IB Art and Visual Arts Major students, who welcomed friends and family to the opening of their exhibition, showcasing works from the portfolios they have developed over the past two years.
From St. Louis to Boston, our College Guidance team is on the move! Director Kathleen Martin connected over lunch with Aaron Hockstein ’24 and Devin Wallace ’24 at Washington University in St. Louis, and with Nick Winchell ’24 at Hampden-Sydney College, while Associate Director Rose Gnade caught up with Alex Saville ’21 at Gettysburg College. We love seeing our alumni and supporting our current students on their college journeys!
The WFS Model UN Club, accompanied by faculty advisor Nick Childers, recently sent a delegation of four students to the Tower Hill Model UN Conference.
WFS Lower School assistant and associate teachers participated in a professional development retreat at Pendle Hill last week, focused on deepening instructional practice and strengthening team collaboration.
Last night, WFS honored the Class of 2025 International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates during the annual Celebration of Scholarship. Each student delivered a 3–5 minute presentation reflecting on their growth through the program’s core components: Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay. The evening highlighted the depth of thought, dedication, and inquiry that define the IB experience at Wilmington Friends School.
Megan Hegenbarth’s Quakerism class took a mindful journey into Alapocas Woods with middle school Spanish teacher Laura Pardo ’90, who studied forest immersion on her sabbatical earlier this year. Guided sensory exercises—listening to rustling leaves, feeling tree bark, noticing the movement of water—helped students support their well‑being by connecting with the present moment, their natural surroundings, and themselves.
Congratulations to our community members who shared their talents at this week's Informal Concert! This concert is designed to showcase the talent of our students, parents, and faculty in an informal, yet serious, chamber concert or recital format.
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.