Oak Leaves Fall 2011

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Calendar Highlights Alumni Basketball Game: January 7 Middle and Upper School Concert: January 11 AFS Community Wrestling Event: January 17 AFS Community Talent Show: February 11 Middle School Play: March 8-9 Parenting in the 21st Century: March 17 All-School Science Night: April 11 Upper School Play: April 19-21 Upper School Concert: April 25 Reunion Weekend and Roo Fest: May 4-5 Middle School Concert: May 24 Commencement: June 13

oakleaves Fall 2011

The Strategic Vision for AFS

Education for a Changing World Vision in Action Campaign Wrapup Report on Gifts Summary Alumni Reunions Class Notes

THE AFS

ANNUAL FUND

it’s for everyone Upcoming Alumni Events Together we can reach our goal of: $450,000 And 65% parent participation

EVERY GIFT MATTERS Learn more about the Annual Fund and opportunities for giving and volunteering at www.abingtonfriends.net

Homecoming 2011: November 23, 2011 Alumni Basketball Game: January 7, 2012 AFS Community Talent Show: February 11, 2012 Boston Alumni Event at the MFA: March 14, 2012 Arbor Day: April 27, 2012 Reunion Weekend and Roo Fest: May 4-5, 2012 Commencement: June 13, 2012 Questions? Please contact Anna S. Glass, Director of Alumni Affairs at astiegel@abingtonfriends.net or 215.576.3966.

Please see the AFS Website, www.abingtonfriends.net, or the AFS Facebook Group “Alumni of Abington Friends School” for additional event details.

in this issue

4 12 15

Life at AFS:

Six Month Scrapbook

AFS Upfront

Vision in Action Campaign Final Report

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Education for a Changing World The Strategic Vision for AFS

38

Alumni Events

Oak Leaves is a publication of the AFS Development and Communications Offices.

Richard F. Nourie Debbie Stauffer Jon Harris Judy Hill Marji Burke Gabrielle Giddings Anna Stiegel Glass

Head of School Associate Head of School Assistant Head for Institutional Advancement Director of Communications, Editor Communications Assistant Assistant Director of Development Director of Alumni

Peapod Design

Publication Design

18 41 44

Annual Report

Classnotes

In Memoriam

1

letter from the

head of school On a crisp, timeless fall evening, with a gorgeous harvest moon silhouetting the Grove’s oak trees, we entered the Meetinghouse for the Upper School production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.

Inside was a simple stage set with just a few chairs and a couple of tables, the room warm and cozy after the brisk air outside. The play was magical, creating a spellbinding illusion of small town life in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire.

Written in 1937, Our Town remains powerfully resonant today as a meditation on the essence of human life in a time of irreversible change.

The Meetinghouse was the perfect setting, itself a testament to the resiliency of a spiritual center that has witnessed 300 years of families living their lives through generations of change. I was mesmerized as I watched our students bringing the simple stories of an earlier era to life and creating the haunting reminders of what is left after getting down to the essentials of our existence.

Our Town was a wonderful choice by theatre teacher Megan Hollinger, especially given our collective recognition at AFS of the profound changes we are living through in this current generation. After a year of reflective inquiry and planning for the future of our School,

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OAK LEAVES SPRING

2011

we are more clear than ever that we are educating in and for a changing world, one of great promise but also of great questions and a renewed challenge to discover and nurture a full and generous definition of who we are as human beings.

We know that we are educating our children in and for a world that is more dynamic, diverse, entrepreneurial and interdependent than at any time in history. Education for this world must be equally dynamic and engaging and foster the types of deep strengths and ways of seeing the world that will help our students thrive, lead and help create a more just and humane future. At

AFS, we believe that the combination of inner strength and outward engagement that are at the core of our Quaker vision for education is exactly right for the world our children are entering.

By inner strength, we mean cultivating habits of reflection and coming to know the spiritual dimension of our lives as a source of lasting strength. In a world of constant change it is a great gift to know one has a place to go to internally for perspective, encouragement and a sense of deeper meaning. The Quaker practices of silent reflection, of searching for truth and of building trusting relationships create a

profound context for growth over the course of childhood and adolescence.

When we talk about outward vitality, we are speaking of cultivating a spirit of authentic engagement, initiative and leadership along with skills of collaboration and making the most of resources for continual learning and high quality work. The experiential nature of our program is key to this, and will continue to grow as we carry out our new strategic plan.

One locus of this transformative learning is in our diversity as a school community. It is not uncommon to believe that living in a diverse world requires merely an attitude of openness, tolerance and respect. What we know is that being successful in managing multiple perspectives, connecting meaningfully with people of varying experiences and making positive change in the world has far more to do with experience and the building of concrete skills. Sharing life stories, doing the hard work of coming to shared

understanding, challenging assumptions and coming to recognize patterns of privilege and bias creates the context for genuine openness, respect and willingness to learn from others.

We also strive to make learning relevant and authentic for our students by getting them out into the world for experiences in service, the arts, workplace internships, travel and extended research and study. The ECCO program, as profiled in its fourth year in this issue of Oak Leaves, continues to prove the power of such authentic learning, complete with real-world challenges and setbacks as well as experiences of genuine discovery and profound new insights.

An exciting new dimension of powerful learning we are exploring from our strategic plan research is that of outdoor learning.

We are inspired by new evidence that shows the value of outdoor play, exploration, movement and study for children’s

“At AFS, we believe that the combination of inner strength and outward engagement that are at the core of our Quaker vision for education is exactly right for the world our children are entering.”

development. In an over-mediated world, the experience of being outdoors, navigating physical challenges, honing observational skills, witnessing the cycles and patterns of the natural world and grounding academic skills in physical terms are invaluable to children. We are excited about plans to develop the campus for a serious extension of the ways in which our children learn.

Overall, we have become convinced that a spirit of ongoing discovery, continual learning and openness to an unfolding understanding of the world around us best strengthens our work in educating for a changing world and best prepares our students for thriving in the here and now and in their unknowable futures.

This edition of Oak Leaves shines light on some of these projects in ongoing and experiential learning among adults and children alike. I cannot tell you how inspiring it is to be a part of this vital community on a day-to-day basis. If you haven’t been back to campus in a while, please give me a call and come visit. I’d love to share first hand the excitement of the learning community of AFS with you.

Rich Nourie, Head of School

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6

life at AFS:

The Middle School musical this year was a joyful production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, a musical that blends many familiar fairy tales with an original story of a childless baker and his wife who attempt to reverse a curse in order to have a child.

What better way to get into the Viking mindset than to stage a raid! The chaotic, boisterous but always good spirited raid, part of Middle School Social Studies Teacher Mark Smith’s unit on Vikings, has become a treasured Middle School tradition.

march Candlelight Dinner « The torch of leadership was passed to the class of 2012 during the annual Upper School Candlelight Dinner, an evening celebration that included student appreciations of their advisors, a themed meal and the all-important candle lighting ceremony that took place in the Meeting House.

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LIFE AT AFS : SIX MONTH SCRAPBOOK

Mold Symposium

»

Into the Woods

»

Sixth Grade Viking Raid

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month scrapbook

AFS hosted the 30th Annual Mold Symposium, a daylong fourth-grade celebration of all things mold. This year we were joined by Plymouth Meeting Friends School and Penn Charter. Each student began with a question—“Does mold grow better on a lemon or a lime?”

“Will more mold grow on cauliflower or bread?”—designed an experiment and presented posters describing their research findings.

»

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Earth Day

»

The Upper School theater production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream incorporated live and recorded Beatles music, magical elements and a bit of cross-dressing to the delight of a packed house. As the closing production of the year, it was also the opportunity to welcome several freshmen into the theater program and bid a fond farewell to several talented graduating seniors.

All-School Science Night

»

AFS Kindergarteners and their teachers kicked off Earth Day 2011 with a parade where they carried banners and shared their song, “Earth Day is Every Day.” Kristina Denzel’s Upper School Sustainability class hosted an assembly where they shared excerpts from the documentary film King Corn and highlighted key discoveries made during their yearlong study of the food system. They also announced the launch of AFS’ own organic vegetable garden.

For Middle and Upper School students, Science Night is the opportunity to share their long-term independent research projects on self-selected topics including, this year, the effects of road salt and motor oil on plants. Lower School students presented their projects a week earlier and also participated in activities sponsored by the Academy of Natural Sciences, Briar Bush Nature Center, AFS parent and scientist Jeff Peterson and papermaker Dottie Baumgarten.

5

»

Arbor Day

Roo Fest

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Rudin Lecture

The sun shone brightly on Saturday, May 7, for the AFS annual spring fair known as Roo Fest. Present and past members of the AFS school community gathered to catch up with one another while enjoying carnival games, pony rides, kids crafts, a classic car display, delicious food and a plant and used book sale.

»

On Arbor Day, May 6, the entire school community—students, faculty, staff and many families—convened to celebrate the blessings of spring and reaffirm the School's commitment to caring for the earth. The first formal occasion of the year in which the graduating seniors are paired with their first grade pages in preparation for Commencement, Arbor Day also begins the series of events in which seniors transfer leadership onto the junior class.

The 2011 Rudin Lecture featured Gary Hirshberg, chairman, president and self described CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer. In his lecture, Hirshberg addressed sustainable economic development, organic agriculture and the profitability of green and socially responsible businesses to a packed house.

He also met privately with members of Kristina Denzel's Sustainability class, who peppered him with questions about renewable resources, the "100 mile diet" and other issues of sustainable living.

EGIS «

may 6

LIFE AT AFS : SIX MONTH SCRAPBOOK

AFS eighth graders captured the attention of their teachers, families and guests with their project presentations during Eighth Grade Independent Study Night, the culmination of their yearlong adventure in self-directed learning. This year’s projects ranged from shaping a surfboard to designing a doghouse to creating a solar panel.

State Champs! »

TEDx AFS

»

With their 6-3 defeat of Penn Charter on May 28, the AFS Varsity Softball team became the 2011 Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament champions.

The team also won the 2011 Friends Schools League championship, making it a truly winning season for the girls.

A day of talks, screenings and performances in the spirit of TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design). TEDx AFS featured riveting talks and performances on topics including abstract art, mourning, music copyright, vitamins and folk music. Plenty of time was also built into the day for discussion and lively conversation.

Third Grade Family History Night » Third grade students, their teachers and families gathered to celebrate Family History Night. Student work represented four months of intense research and featured artfully crafted nonfiction writing pieces, family artifacts, timelines, drawings and poetry.

First Grade Reading Breakfast AFS first graders shared their yearlong collection of writing and poetry with their families.

Student portfolios featured an observational journal on the Monarch Butterfly, an Animal Research Alphabet Book, a variety of poems and a Book About Me.

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LIFE AT AFS : SIX MONTH SCRAPBOOK

On June 10 family and friends gathered on a hot and steamy (but thankfully rain free) afternoon in the Grove to honor the 83 members of the Class of 2011, the largest class in the School’s history. The junior class formed the traditional daisy chain and flanked the first-grade pages as they processed down the aisle.

Our senior student speakers Genesis Feliz and Gabe Sansone talked about what they had learned during their years at AFS and Nikolas Regalbuto and Bria Howard introduced Keynote Speaker Jared Solomon ’97 who spoke about his life in public service, his work on Democrat Joe Sestak’s campaign and what motivated him to form the now flourishing community group Take Back Your Neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia. Ellen Carney presented the class gift, a large clock to grace the Stewart Lobby and a donation to fund the School’s new sustainability gardens, to Upper School Director Martha Holland.

Musical accompaniments included Jennifer Mamrol playing a flute solo by Debussy and a moving rendition of Joni Mitchell’s The Circle Game sung by Ellen Carney, Dana Campbell and Rebecca Greenberg.

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Medieval Feast «

Shakefest

»

Sixth graders celebrated the completion of their unit of study on medieval life with a grand Medieval Feast that featured a wedding ceremony, poetry readings, a magnificent banquet and a series of entertaining and original puppet shows. Students joyfully brought two adjoining classrooms alive with banners, “stained glass” windows and heraldic shields in the manner of a 1300s Great Hall.

Third Grade China Unit

»

Middle School students gathered in the Faulkner Library to act out scenes from Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar and Midsummer Night’s Dream. As always, the performances were spirited and lively, with a healthy dose of middle school humor.

Field Day

»

As part of the third grade's study of China, our students engaged in several hands-on activities to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival including their hands-down favorite, making (and eating) moon cakes.

The Blue Team prevailed in the end at Field Day 2011, but students from Lower, Middle and Upper School all had fun during this day of friendly competition. The faculty took the honors in the Tug of Conflict and this time, thankfully, the rope held.

september 10

LIFE AT AFS : SIX MONTH SCRAPBOOK

october AFS Book Fair » Once again, the Book Fair drew crowds of delighted book lovers to the Faulkner Library.

The traditional Human Chess match and a performance by the Upper School jazz band added to the entertainment. In the classrooms, we had visits from a variety of authors, as well as a comic book artist.

Golf Outing «

Families gathered behind the Muller cafeteria for a potluck to celebrate the weeklong Jewish festival of Sukkot. The School’s Jewish Families Affinity Group, headed by D’vorah Horn-Greenberg and Robin Shane, planned the Sukkot potluck as an opportunity to both celebrate and educate. Students from Lower, Middle and Upper school were all involved in building the Sukkah, the temporary hut constructed for use during the festival.

Marshall Concert

»

Sukkot

»

Rescheduled twice because of bad weather, the Hank Faulkner Memorial Golf Outing took place on October 17 at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club, drawing 65 players for a beautiful, sunny early fall day of golf in support of student tuition assistance.

The acclaimed Jasper String Quartet took to the Muller Stage for this year’s Marshall Concert, captivating an Upper and Middle School audience with gorgeous renditions of pieces by Ravel, Shubert and Berber. The quartet later worked with Lower School students just starting out with stringed instruments.

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afs upfront Copenhagen Girls’ Choir Visits AFS The Copenhagen Girls’ Choir visited AFS on April 8, filling the halls of the PreK through Upper School divisions with their delightful and impromptu vocal performances. Choir members also attended Upper School language, poetry and physics classes, participated in a joint rehearsal with AFS choir members and capped off their day with a full-length performance in the Muller Auditorium. The girls hailed from Sankt Annæ Gymnasium, Copenhagen’s Municipal Choir School. AFS Middle and Upper School Choral Director Stephen Spinelli arranged the visit.

AFS Welcomes 13 Students from Mainland China AFS welcomed 13 international students this fall. These newest members of the student body are natives of Mainland China and come to us through Ivy International. The students reside at The Plaza Apartments in Jenkintown, where they live under the guidance of counselors who are employed by Ivy International and serve as their parents in absentia.

On-site ESL (English as a Second Language) support is available to the students through the program as well.

Bill Newman, Director of Admissions and Tuition Assistance at AFS, said that competition for admission was steep, with 35 Ivy International students seeking the 13 available slots at AFS. “These students and their families were attracted by the deeper and more comprehensive nature of our school’s curriculum and were looking for an opportunity to explore the kind of lateral thinking we do here, the way in which we look at problems from many different, novel or creative angles, instead of tackling them in the head-on, or linear, fashion to which they are more accustomed.” He also noted that the small class sizes, strong student-teacher relationships and focus on service that are hallmarks of an AFS education held great appeal for the students and their families.

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OAK LEAVES FALL

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Many Voices One Community Day Now in its fifth year, AFS’ “Many Voices One Community” (MVOC) day, took place on March 18.

“This day is a powerful extension and celebration of the work we do here every day, all year long,” said AFS Spanish teacher and PRIDE sponsor Cyndi Silverman. The PRIDE group, which sponsored MVOC, is a delegation of student representatives from each of AFS’ affinity groups including Black Student Union, Gay Straight Bisexual Alliance and the Latino, Jewish, Middle Eastern Asian Pacific, Men’s and Women’s Groups.

Activities included work in small groups facilitated by student leaders who had spent time in diversity training with Chonika C. Coleman-King, Ph.D., from the Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania. The training was funded by the E. E. Ford Foundation grant that AFS received in 2009 to develop multicultural pedagogy in the classroom.

National Day of Silence Abington Friends’ Gay Straight Bisexual Alliance once again organized the Middle and Upper School’s observation of the National Day of Silence held in April every year. The purpose of the day is to recognize the discrimination and harassment, in effect the silencing, experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students and their allies.

Students and faculty members participated in the National Day of Silence on a voluntary basis, either by taking a vow of silence for the day (or part of the day, for 6th and 7th graders) or by wearing a rainbow ribbon to show their active support.

The Day of Silence began after morning assembly and continued until the end of the day when the students lit candles and broke their silence in a special Meeting for Worship where they reflected on their experience of being silent.

Many students spoke of the difficulty of the day and how they had felt ostracized and isolated because of their inability to speak up and respond to situations throughout the day. One student talked of her acute embarrassment when she accidentally broke her silence and her subsequent realization that her momentary discomfort was nothing compared to the daily discomforts felt by those in the LGBT community. Another student spoke of how grateful she was to be in a community that accepted her for who she was.

Several teachers also talked about how struck they were by the loss of students’ voices and contributions in class and how it made them appreciate the openness of expression and discourse typical in an AFS classroom.

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Bejing Opera In September, actor and choreographer Jamie H. J. Guan visited AFS and provided a special demonstration of the Beijing Opera’s Magic of the Monkey King. Mr. Guan graduated from the Beijing Institute for Performing Arts and performed with Peking Opera Troupe No.1 for 15 years. He made his Broadway debut as actor and choreographer in the Tony award winning M. Butterfly and has performed and choreographed nationally and internationally in theater, film and television. He specializes in martial arts roles.

Scarf Solidarity Last spring Yusra Aziz ’11, a Muslim-American, coordinated AFS’ participation in the International Scarves in Solidarity Day, an event that drew more than 5,000 participants worldwide. The goal was to help clarify the misperceptions surrounding the wearing of the hijab (head scarf) or niqab (face veil) by Muslim women both here and abroad.

“We wanted to educate people and to ask those who agreed with us to stand in solidarity by wearing a scarf and engaging others in discussion throughout the day,” Yusra said. “Our goal was to create a respectful event, one that offended neither Muslims or nonMuslims.” Here at AFS, numerous staff and faculty members as well as Middle and Upper school students dressed in support.

Yusra noted that when she wore the scarf on April 21 many fellow students stopped dead in their tracks. “People froze, then started asking me questions which is exactly what I had wanted to see happen. I had some great conversations and a chance to negate some of the misperceptions that I find most disturbing,” she added.

The performance was followed by a question and answer period.

Students learned that performers train for eight years and must master more than 200 dances before being accepted into the Beijing Opera.

Later in the day, AFS third graders, who recently embarked on a unit study of China, as well as Middle and Upper school students, had the opportunity to learn from and practice with Mr. Guan and his assistant.

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AFS UPFRONT

“We wanted to educate people and to ask those who agreed with us to stand in solidarity by wearing a scarf and engaging others in discussion throughout the day,”

final report:

what we achieved We began the Vision in Action Campaign three years ago with some very clear goals: to empower students, invest in faculty and connect our community. All of these goals have been accomplished, and beyond that our learning community has been invigorated and inspired with a powerful surge of collaborative energy and ideas that set the stage for carrying out our strategic vision for the School over the next five years.

Hearing Rosanne Mistretta speaking about modeling life-long learning to her students, John Rison sharing how an investment in technology infrastructure has radically shifted how we share resources with each other and with students, Toni Vahlsing explaining how a dynamic library can allow students access to literally a whole world of research, Medha Gosh ’12 detailing her experiences with the ECCO program and Rachel Kane describing a process of faculty collaboration are all reflections of how this campaign has engaged the heart of our school community.

To hear all these voices and more, go to our Vision in Action campaign website at www.abingtonfriends.net/visioninaction/ visioninaction.

AFS has become “the place” to teach in the region and our students are thriving.

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Empowering our Students We live in a world of opportunity and possibility. Students who are empowered to understand themselves as learners, take initiative and explore these opportunities are best suited to succeed in today’s resource rich world. Central to the Vision in Action Campaign was support for planning and strengthening our comprehensive support, enrichment and long-term advising program for all our students.

Today, as we stand on the cusp of the next phase of the strategic plan, our internal work on developing a ground-breaking student support and enrichment program and our innovative ECCO program provide the strong foundation for bringing the final stages of this work to completion. The ECCO program was created to encourage students to explore, connect and commit to opportunities (ECCO) of personal interest as a way of further developing their distinctive identities and full potential as passionate learners.

Read more about the ECCO Program on page 29 and on our Vision in Action campaign website at www.abingtonfriends.net/ visioninaction/visioninaction.

Student support and enrichment Over the course of the Campaign, our charge was to take an already strong program of student support and develop a comprehensive support, enrichment and long-term advising program that would fully engage our entire student body.

Three years ago, the work began with a team of administrators, learning support specialists and teachers documenting our current programs of advising, support and enrichment and researching and investigating best practices and models. Their goal: to recommend a model program that encourages all students to be active, resourceful and self-knowledgeable learners.

Today, this work has provided the framework for designing the standard-setting Early Childhood and Lower School program; team based Middle School program and visionary Upper School program at the heart of our next strategic plan (see page 22).

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VISION IN ACTION CAMPAIGN

The ECCO program was created to encourage students to explore, connect and commit to opportunities (ECCO) of personal interest as a way of further developing their distinctive identities and full potential as passionate learners.

Investing in Faculty

Professional Learning Communities

When we kicked off the Vision in Action Campaign, our goal was to support a groundbreaking model of faculty learning and research at AFS that would bring the very best teachers into our classrooms and support their work. Today, with innovative programs like summer curriculum fellowships, professional learning cohorts and critical friends groups coupled with access to critical technology and increased faculty salaries that allow us to attract and retain outstanding teachers, AFS has become “the place� to teach in the region and our students are thriving.

Each month, 10 different groups of faculty from all divisions of our school have been gathering to grapple with questions of teaching practice. While faculty participation in these professional learning communities is voluntary, the groups are widely subscribed, with more than 100 participants across the school participating in a Critical Friends Group, Action Research into Multi-Racial Pedagogy, or BUS 21(Building Understanding for Students in the 21st Century).

Summer Fellowships The summer fellowship program saw significant change during the Vision in Action Campaign, emerging as an innovative program that supports team driven collaborative work among faculty members over the summer. At the close of the Campaign, over half the AFS faculty is engaged in meaningful summer work supported by the summer fellowship program.

We know that faculty learning happens best when it is sustained over time, is shared among colleagues, and is grounded in trusting relationships. Together these groups support a culture of continual, collaborative, engaged faculty learning.

Read more on our Vision in Action campaign website at www.abingtonfriends.net/ visioninaction/visioninaction.

We know that faculty learning happens best when it is sustained over time, is shared among colleagues, and is grounded in trusting relationships.

Connecting Community We began the Vision in Action Campaign with a pressing need to provide space and flexibility for our wonderfully diverse, multiage community to connect with each other.

Today, after a complete all-school overhaul of how we schedule the school day for students, we have created both physical and logistical spaces that allow Lower School students to enjoy the same cafeteria setting and options as our Upper and Middle School students, given Upper School students the opportunity to share one lunch period, and created flexible time in the school day for Upper and Middle School students to engage in activities and studentteacher collaboration.

A renewed emphasis on healthy choices and sustainability led to a partnership with a new food service vendor who shares our values around food and community connection, providing better dining choices for each of our divisions. And a glance outside the windows of the Muller Cafeteria reveal the first stages of a community garden well underway.

Last fall, we adopted a new seven-day schedule that allows for higher quality teaching time, so that our classrooms can be as active, experiential and resource-rich as our faculty envision. The new schedule adds teaching time, more opportunity for connection between faculty and students and a more humane pace to the day, particularly for the younger members of our community.

Read more on our Vision in Action campaign website at www.abingtonfriends.net/ visioninaction/visioninaction.

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Abington Friends School

annual report of gifts Annual Fund

Highlights In 2010-2011 we raised $499,815 146 alumni, parents and friends gave to the Annual Fund for the first time 721 donors made repeat gifts to the annual fund $576.49 was the average gift per donor 94 donors gave gifts equal to or greater than $1000 63% of our parents contributed to the annual fund 16% of our alumni contributed to the annual fund 75% of our faculty and staff contributed to the Annual Fund

Our deepest thanks to our 867 donors for making 2010-2011 our most successful Annual Fund ever.

Vision in Action

Highlights Capital Funds pledged $1,549,267 Goal: $1.7M Annual Fund raised and pledged: $1,437,776 Goal: $1.3M over 3 years Total Raised for the Vision in Action Campaign: 2,987,043 Goal: $3M For a full report on the success of the Vision in Action Campaign, please visit www.abingtonfriends.net/visioninaction/ visioninaction.

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Vision in Action Donor Honor Roll

Dear Friends, As we look forward to the new year, we can be proud of the fact that we accomplished a lot in 2010-2011. We set a new goal for the Annual Fund, raising nearly $500,000 and we completed the Campaign (Vision in Action: People, Program & Potential).

What is most gratifying is to see how our students and teachers have reaped the benefits of the community’s philanthropy. As I walk the halls of the school, I see teachers whose enthusiasm and excitement for engaging our students was positively enhanced by the Campaign’s investment in faculty professional learning and compensation. I also see students who have more resources at the ready. We have new technology, new support systems and the ECCO Program (Explore, Connect and Commit to Opportunities) to name just a few of the many improvements to the overall program.

But more on the Annual Fund, the most important cog in the development machinery of the School. We are very happy to have raised close to $500,000 and we did that thanks to the outstanding support and loyalty of our School Committee, 63% of our parents, 16% of our Alumni and 75% of our fulltime faculty and administration. So, let’s do the math. What if we could get even more of our community to understand the impact of their donations to the School and we thereby reached higher levels from our constituent groups. For example, what if we were able to have our alumni reach a participation level of 25%? And then couple that with an increase in our parent giving to a level of 80%! We have the ability to do more for our students and so my challenge to our community is to keep reaching for higher participation levels. The more we participate in the Annual Fund, the richer our program becomes and the better it is for each and every student at AFS! In addition, I am pleased to report that we raised over $140,000 for tuition assistance in our PAEITC Program (Pennsylvania Education Improvement Tax Credit Program) and about $20,000 from the Third Hank Faulkner Golf Outing. Finally, several more of the Athletic Projects from the Momentum Campaign were funded by parents and friends of the School, notably the baseball infield and the Thode Gym.

We are grateful to the members of our community who have made pledges to the Vision in Action Campaign, accelerating our ability to have an immediate impact on every student on a daily basis by investing in our faculty, empowering our students and connecting our community. This listing reflects combined gifts and pledges to both the Capital and Annual Fund portions of the Campaign. $200,000 and above Rodney and Tracey Sandmeyer Sheares Family Charitable Foundation Bradley Sheares and Adrienne Simmons

$100,000 to $200,000 Anonymous Mark and Heather Garrison Kevin and Margaret McGlynn Patrick Mutchler and Ann Thompson Susan Salesky Rudin ’57 and Jack Rudin Irvin and Anita Schorsch Peter ’75 and Bonnie ’75 Schorsch

$50,000 to $100,000 Anonymous (2) David and Gwen Campbell Gail Faulkner and John Oyler Steven and Ricki Fisher Jeffrey and Suzanne Kahn Wilf Family Foundation Jane Frieder Wilf ’84 and Mark Wilf

I look forward to seeing you on campus and thank you very much for your support of AFS!

$25,000 to $50,000

Jon M. Harris Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement

Total Contributions to AFS for the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year:

Steven and Ilene Berman Robert and Patricia Delany Myrna Goodman and Hilary Goodman Sperling ’99 Janet Israel Eugene Lugano and Marcia Boraas Robert and MaryAnn Watson Edwin S. Webster Foundation Jon M. and Cynthia Harris Sandy Harris

$1,546,293 19

$10,000 to $25,000 Marilyn Amento Robert and Naomi Atkins Rick Bedrick and Amy Brantz-Bedrick Scott Erman ’86 Stewart and Susan Fisher Robert and Elizabeth Henske Benjamin and Karen Hoyle Joseph C. Scott Foundaton Patricia Sinclair Scott Trent Scott ’92 Charles and Barbara Kahn Peter Kollros and Barbara Konkle Eric and Maria Rieders Donald and Dawn Salmon Mitchell and Beth Sargen Diane Vernon Peter Wellhofer and Joanne Lahner

$5,000 to $10,000 Kenneth and Diane Ahl Mitchell and Kathleen Alden Brad and Andrea Heffler Richard and Robin Nourie Salvatore Rotella and Maria Kiernan David and Carina Urbach

$1,000 to 5,000 David and Nina Bisbee Lee and Renee Fleisher Carol and Sam Frieder Jose and Maria Gonzalez-Heres Suzanne Alston Hodges ’85 and Keith Hodges Megan Bellwoar Hollinger and Michael Hollinger Richard and Molly Logan Kristine Byrne Long Elizabeth and Keith Mosley Eric and Linda Podietz Joseph and Lynn Pokrifka Richard and Elizabeth Soltan Michael and Chelsea Sperger Joel Sweet and Orit Netter Susan and David and Susan Wolk

2010-2011 Annual Fund Donor Honor Roll AFS relies on leaders within the Annual Fund to help build a strong financial base for today and the future. The Leadership Giving categories listed below acknowledge those donors who have made substantial gifts in support of the Annual Fund. We are grateful for their support.

Annual Fund The John Barnes League – ($20,000.00 +) Anonymous Faulkner Family Foundation Gail Faulkner and John Oyler Harry Faulkner ’00 Juliet Faulkner ’95 Lucinda Faulkner Friedman ’98 Jocelyn Faulkner Casey ’97 Kevin and Margaret McGlynn Rodney and Tracey Sandmeyer Peter ’75 and Bonnie ’75 Schorsch Sheares Family Charitable Foundation Bradley Sheares and Adrienne Simmons

Fourth Century League – ($10,000.00 +) David and Gwen Campbell Mark and Heather Garrison Patrick Mutchler and Ann Thompson The Rhode Island Foundation Margaret and Andy Zuccotti Susan Salesky Rudin ’57 and Jack Rudin Irvin and Anita Schorsch Steven Winokur

Heritage Society – ($7,500.00 +) Steven and Ricki Fisher Mrs. Myrna Goodman and Hilary Goodman Sperling ’99 Jeffrey and Suzanne Kahn Doris Ervien Marsh ’38

Oak Tree Society – ($5,000.00 +) Anonymous Abington Monthly Meeting of Friends Steven and Ilene Berman East Bay Community Foundation Frieder Family Gift Fund Samuel Frieder ’82 and Wendy Frieder

20

ANNUAL REPORT OF GIFTS

Carol and Mark Honigman Eugene Lugano and Marcia Boraas David and Stephanie Newman Edwin S. Webster Foundation Jon M. and Cynthia Harris

Founders’ Society – ($2,500.00 +) Anonymous James Archbold and Elizabeth Belk Culinart Incorporated Robert and Patricia Delany Stewart and Susan Fisher Janet Israel Korein Foundation, The Jonathan Korein and Jane Rovins Kristine Maglietta Eric and Maria Rieders Donald and Dawn Salmon Debbie Stauffer and Carol Palmer Diane Vernon Robert and MaryAnn Watson Peter Wellhofer and Joanne Lahner

1697 Circle – ($1,697.00 +) Rick Bedrick and Amy Brantz-Bedrick Lucille Prock Dean ’33 Scott Erman ’86 and Nancy Erman Lee and Renee Fleisher Elizabeth Sears Gadsden ’71 Charles and Barbara Kahn Kenelm Foundation Bonnie Drummond Gross ’61 Peter Kollros and Barbara Konkle William and Susan Lockwood Richard and Robin Nourie Corinne Romig Roxby ’53 Mitchell and Beth Sargen Irvin G. and Marilyn Schorsch Robert Silverman and Randi Leavitt James and Jennifer Zega

Head of School Circle – ($1,000.00 +)

Annual Fund Lifetime Donors

Mitchell and Kathleen Alden Marilyn Amento Michael and Lauren Arnold Robert and Naomi Atkins Tom Avril and Karen Cheney David Ball and Debra Schaeffer Allison Kanofsky Berg ’89 Mark and Amy Bierhoff John Binswanger David and Nina Bisbee Ned and Caren Borowsky Michael and Maureen Caulfield Paula Cohen-Corbman Rebecca Drees Coyne ’89 Paul and Lisa Dougherty Mary Lynn and Paul Ellis Mitchell and Lucy Fineman Penny Grossman Fox ’49 William and Phyllis Gallagher Jose and Maria Gonzalez-Heres Matthew and Audra Gurin Martin Foundation George and Linda Hartnett Michael Hecht ’89 Benjamin and Karen Hoyle Beth Felton Junkin ’61 Stefan Keller and Donna Bleznak-Keller William A. Lockwood ’92 Lynne Koolpe Mass and Burton Mass Barry and Holly Myers Joan High Putney ’57 Salvatore Rotella and Maria Kiernan Barbara Ruch ’50 Barry and Lisa Steinman Trustees, Abington Monthly Meeting David and Carina Urbach Stephen Venetianer and Susan Ulrich-Venetianer

We gratefully acknowledge those donors who have provided consistent long-term support of the School with over a decade of consecutive year giving to the Annual Fund. We are thankful for their ongoing generosity.

25 years or more Mary Buckman ’74 Marsha Cohen ’82 Anita Scott Duke ’41 Gail Faulkner and John Oyler

20 to 24 years Abington Monthly Meeting of Friends Kathy Adams-House ’65 Anne Schreiber Collins ’48 Richard and Molly Logan Elizabeth and Keith Mosley Sindy Paul Paul ’75 Alfred and Elayne Toizer Christine Washington

15 to 20 years Marjorie Adams Alexander ’54 Ann and Scott Botel-Barnard James Burke and Cynthia Gawron-Burke Arthur and Marcia Chernoff Sue Zurn Collins ’68 Lucille Prock Dean ’33 Christine Lapp Donahower ’56 Marsha and Joseph Dratch Mary Lynn and Paul Ellis Mary Eno and Dan Wagner Scott Erman ’86 Anne Fields Penny Grossman Fox ’49 Judith Chestnut Fuss ’63 Jane Stone Horn ’47 Jean O’Neill Huntington ’44 Margaret Williams Kelly ’49

Keith Levinson and Paulette London Charles and Clarabon Logan Eugene Lugano and Marcia Boraas Kathleen O’Neill MacInnes ’38 Virginia R. Martin Lynne Koolpe Mass and Burton Mass Elizabeth Mayers ’63 Carolyn Anderson McGuckin ’53 Sandra Scott Mraz and Dave Mraz Patrick Mutchler and Ann Thompson Dana O’Brien ’70 Jason Pizzi ’93 Mimsey Peterson Potts Corinne Romig Roxby ’53 Irvin G. and Marilyn Schorsch Robert and Beverly Sitrin Alan and Ruth Smith Deirdre Rhoads Snyder ’62 Debbie Stauffer and Carol Palmer Susan Gerlitz Tam ’64 Linda Hano Weintraub ’55 Joan DePaul West ’55 Brent Whitman ’80 Susan Yannessa ’71

10 to 14 years David and Patricia Baron Renie and David Campbell Marnie Christian Laura Conkey ’69 Marc and Janet Crespi Robert and Doris Fanelli Samuel Frieder ’82 Victoria Hartung ’58 Mary Jimenez Wayne Kurtz and Lisa Treadway-Kurtz William A. Lockwood ’92 Kristine Byrne Long Kathryn Lopez Jane and David McVeigh-Schultz Alan and Marcy Nadel Joseph and Lynn Pokrifka Doris Drummond Pyle ’49 Victoria Decker Rosskam ’71 Mitchell and Beth Sargen Bradley Sheares and Adrienne Simmons Robert Silverman and Randi Leavitt Jane Smith ’80 Tom and Carolyn Spencer Oung and Leela Thain Mary Hutchinson Tucker ’56 Diane Vernon Lisbeth Lorenz Wagner ’59 Joseph and Leslie Ward Susan and David and Susan Wolk Marianne Zurn ’66

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education for a

changing world The Strategic Vision for Abington Friends School he 2006 Strategic Plan and the Vision in Action Campaign that followed (see page 15) invested energetically in supporting teachers and students alike as active, creative learners in a resource rich world.

Driven by the guiding principle that “great schools are lit from within,� we have grown into a powerful culture of new learning, innovation and engagement with the world around us. After a year of research and collaboration across all constituencies and with deep confidence in the power of the AFS vision for education in the 21st century, we are excited to share our 2011 Strategic Plan for Abington Friends School.

22

OAK LEAVES FALL

2011

Upper School: A Complete Education for a Changing World Our plans for Upper School are powered by our vision for education for a changing world and our conviction that readiness to lead and thrive will come from outstanding, contemporary academic preparation, opportunities to connect meaningfully with the outside world during high school, an advisory system that leads to the right opportunities at AFS and college and a comprehensive approach to building skills for reflection, discernment, leadership and empowerment in a diverse world.

Our dynamic culture of learning and discovery, grounded in Quaker wisdom and practice, has led us to an exciting set of next steps that will further unlock the power of collaboration in our community, create additional innovative and engaging learning spaces, improve our beautiful campus, continue to develop contemporary strands of curriculum and fully realize an exceptionally compelling–and distinctly AFS–vision of education for a changing world.

Design for Learning:

Program Our Vision A Community Designed for a Contemporary Quaker Education At the heart of our plan is a new blueprint for our Early Childhood, Lower and Middle Schools and ambitious plans for our Upper School that promotes collaboration, deeper connections in the curriculum and with families and a close focus on creating the ideal environment for each age group.

Early Childhood/Lower School: An Innovative Integrated Program Our nationally known and state recognized Early Childhood program will finally be fully integrated into our main campus, creating an Early Childhood/Lower School program and community that fulfills our ambitious dreams for a world-class learning environment for our younger students.

Featuring newly designed classroom spaces, an outdoor classroom designed and accredited by the Arbor Day Foundation (the first of its kind in Pennsylvania) and a child-centered curriculum rooted in building skills of observation, problem-solving, inquiry and richly developed numeracy and literacy, the new division will serve children ages 3 to grade four.

Middle School: Ideally Designed for Each Developmental Stage

Our ideal Upper School builds on our current strong program to include emerging offerings in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), languages, sustainability and digital production; an enhanced college guidance program that moves students thoughtfully toward the best opportunities available to them for college placement; continued growth in the innovative ECCO program to connect to transformative experiences in the larger world; a re-designed service program to build initiative, leadership and meaningful contribution and efficacy in the real world.

Our plan for Middle School includes a new learning community and program that is perfectly designed for 5th and 6th graders.

Ten and eleven year olds share a joyful and industrious spirit at the peak of their developmental stage.

A classroom environment and curriculum that takes full advantage of this age group’s readiness for new learning, new opportunities in athletics, arts and activities and marked academic growth is our goal, building on the outstanding programs we have created in each grade over the years.

A beautifully designed suite of classrooms and flexible spaces indoors and out complete the vision.

An equally apt environment for the growing independence, leadership, range of interests and readiness for new academic challenges is the plan for our 7th and 8th grade students, again building on a very strong Middle School foundation and philosophy that has developed over many years at AFS.

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Design for Learning:

Academic Facilities Improvements:

Campus

» Bold development of the outdoor campus as a resource for learning and sustainability initiatives including the development of outdoor classrooms for the Lower School and the continued development of a vegetable garden as part of the Middle and Upper School curriculum, and to supply produce for the cafeteria. » Full integration of SmartBoard technology and one-to-one computing support » Substantial renovations to Upper School classrooms that were not completed in the last campaign » Expanded resources and equipment for state of the art math and science programming

AFS has occupied the same beautiful grounds for more than 300 years. We are blessed with abundant green space, magnificent trees, a winding creek and a built campus that has grown over time to serve our evolving needs.

Through the strategic planning process, and with input from the Friends of AFS Athletics Committee, we have identified a range of key facilities investments that will transform our students’ daily experience of the campus and create a perfect environment for learning.

Design for Learning: A Master Plan Athletics Facilities Improvements: » Expansion of the Hallowell Gym » An all-weather track facility » A multipurpose field house » Development of the Abington Club Property

Arts Facilities Improvements: » Expansion of the Muller Auditorium to include technical theater and expanded rehearsal spaces » Addition of air conditioning to the Tyson Arts Wing

24

EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

Community We see the power of experiential education to fully engage and inspire our students. In the last several years we have been rapidly expanding an ongoing series of partnerships through which our students have participated in transformative internships, travel, arts and athletics opportunities beyond the walls of the School. We have also been developing our voice of professional leadership in the field of education, sharing our vision and findings widely in national conferences, publications and in professional development offerings on the AFS campus. We envision becoming a leading resource in sharing our distinctive educational vision and programs with the

surrounding community and within the larger world of independent education.

Our Vision AFS will develop: » An ever broadening landscape of learning and involvement for our students through service learning and independent study connections and relationships in the region » New opportunities for the surrounding community to take part in AFS programs as students, parents, community partners and education professionals » A growing voice of leadership in the independent school world through regional and national conferences » A richer range of partnerships for our students and faculty in our surrounding neighborhood and region Read about the Strategic Vision for Abington Friends School in detail at www.abingtonfriends.net

Strategic Planning Committee Margie McGlynn, clerk Crissy Cáceres David Campbell Heather Garrison Mark Garrison Martha Holland Peter Schorsch Michael Sperger Debbie Stauffer Rich Nourie

Building an Early Childhood Program

A

One Block at a Time

critical component of our Strategic Vision for AFS involves integrating our Early Childhood Program with the Lower School division to create a program for children ages 3 to fourth grade. By doing this, our nationally known and state recognized Early Childhood program will finally be fully integrated into our main campus, creating an Early Childhood/Lower School program that fulfills our ambitious dreams for a world-class learning environment for our younger students.

Child-centered learning This focus on the child having an important voice in what they are learning—rather than the teacher following a canned curriculum— has been central to Debbie’s approach in the Early Childhood Division. Listening to children’s ideas is critical, she says, because children learn best when they’re involved in the process. As obvious as that may sound, it involves a huge shift for teachers.

“In the early childhood world the month of October means you study the color orange and pumpkins and in November you study pilgrims and Indians,” says Debbie. “It’s so often a holiday based curriculum. That’s the commonality that links many early childhood programs together. To take this divergent path is a huge difference.”

What Debbie found, though, as she began to introduce the child-centered (or emergent curriculum) approach, was that it was not only more interesting for the children, but also for the teachers. “If the children are interested in birds the teachers will have to do research. They become researchers alongside of the children. Whereas there’s not all that much you can learn about carving a jack o lantern. Every year. So although it was a shift in thinking, they embraced it.”

Early Childhood Teacher Tamara Clark enjoying some messy play with students in the Turtle room.

We are excited to be bringing our Early Childhood philosophy and program into the Lower School environment and our faculty is already inspired by the possibilities this integration will inspire. That’s because our Early Childhood program has long been a source of great pride for our community and has become a model for the distinctive child centered approach put into practice by Early Childhood Director Debbie Green and her faculty over the last eight years.

What does that child-centered approach look like? Well, it can look like all kinds of different things. Here’s one example, provided by Debbie Green: A couple of children in one of the three/fouryear old classrooms were moving to new homes and talking about the toys they would take from their old house. They started

drawing pictures of homes in the art center and building structures of houses in the block area. The teachers noticed their interest and took the children on a walk around Jenkintown where they took digital photos of the different types of houses. Next they read The Three Little Pigs and made structures with various collected materials, including sticks, straw and bricks and mixed mortar, all of which they tried to knock down with wind from hairdryers. That led to a discussion about what it would be like if you did not have a home, and before long the class was collecting pennies for the homeless.

“It’s a challenging way to teach because its not planned in advance,” says Debbie. The study may last two weeks or it may go in many different directions that might go on for months. “That’s what’s cool, the element of unknown.”

Down by the creek with Early Childhood Teacher Carol Wolf.

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30 Years in Early Childhood Education Since arriving at AFS in 2003, Debbie has taken the division through many “shifts in thinking” as she has worked to make it a truly world class program. And if anyone had the level of experience to do that, it was Debbie.

This year she celebrates her 30th year in early childhood education. Prior to AFS she taught kindergarten at the Philadelphia School, and before that she was involved in setting up employer sponsored childcare programs and in quality improvement initiatives in early childhood programs in low-income neighborhoods. She owned her own program with more than 100 children in the Art Museum area, one of the first in the state to become accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). She has taught classes in Early Childhood Education at the University of Pennsylvania and is in her 15th year of teaching classes in early childhood leadership at Community College of Philadelphia.

“We believe everything that can be learned inside can be learned outside.”

Getting her own program accredited and running it for 14 years gave Debbie a deep familiarity with best practices in the constantly evolving and changing field of early childhood education and the importance of professional development of teachers to keep them learning and adapting their classrooms to the ages and stages of childhood development. Debbie served as an accreditation validator for NAEYC, and once she started visiting other programs that were seeking NAEYC accreditation she says she got a big wakeup call. “I got to see hundreds of programs and I realized that the best programs could be in church basements and the worst could be in very fancy corporate settings. An excellent program has to do with the people, their understanding of best practices and the environments that they create.”

When Debbie came to AFS she was immediately impressed by the caliber of the teachers. One of her first goals was to get the program accredited by NAEYC. “I saw potential for creating beautiful environments, increasing professional development and having our own teachers begin to talk about best practices to others, for this program to be a leader in early childhood where other educators could come to stay on the cutting edge and learn best practices.” Within the first two years of her tenure, the program received its NAEYC accreditation, which

Early Childhood Director Debbie Green looks on as Tamara Clark leads circle time in the Turtle room.

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EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

involved being steeped in a lengthy self study process, looking at all aspects of the program from classroom design to teacher interactions with children to curriculum.

Gaining NAEYC accreditation instantly put the program in a select 8 percent of all early childhood programs in the country. “Once the program becomes accredited,” says Debbie, “You start getting calls from places all over the country to come and see what you’re doing.” Somewhere around this time Debbie also became familiar with the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, which emphasized a child centered approach and the importance of environment.

Setting up spaces for learning “One of my biggest early areas of focus,” says Debbie, “was treating the classroom as a ‘third teacher,’ setting up the space very intentionally, with a focus on natural materials and the goal of creating a calm, peaceful atmosphere. We want the classrooms to be spaces that inspire both awe and wonder, everyday.”

Just as important as the indoor classrooms are the outdoor classrooms. “We sit on 50 acres of land and we use it all,” says Debbie.

“We believe everything that can be learned inside can be learned outside and we help children become familiar and comfortable in being outside. Many of our themes that develop are related to the outside world, to things children experience. They tend to be very concrete things like trees or water or outside animals as opposed to the Chinese New Year or the rain forest. It’s about here and now as opposed to long ago and far away.”

And the exploration of those themes, using the emergent curriculum approach, can take as long as the children’s interest dictates. At one point, says Debbie, a tree study lasted an entire year. “It started with the leaves falling down and the children looking at the leaves, and then went into a multitude of directions that included everything from why the leaves change color, to the animals that live in the trees to products that come from trees, recalls Debbie.

Weaving skills through the curriculum To make a child centered program work, you have to look at time in a very different way, with large blocks of unstructured, unscheduled time for ideas to develop and for children to freely explore. The academic skills, explains Debbie, are deeply woven throughout each of the themes. “It doesn’t matter what the theme is, the skills are always in there. So literacy skills and math skills can be woven in. If the class is involved in a study of insects, you’re counting the insects, you’re reading insect books and you’re naming and writing about the bugs. Our teachers pay very careful attention to that. Learning literacy skills does not need to be a worksheet with the letter b and everyone colors in the blue balloon.”

Along with the child-centered approach and the importance of environment, another key component of the Early Childhood program that will be increasingly evident in next year’s integrated program in the Lower School is documentation. The word sounds dry, but the purposes of documentation, says Debbie, are broad and vital. “One is making learning visible for the outside world, for families and visitors,” she says. “Another purpose is assessment of children and another is for planning.

It has become second nature that cameras are another appendage of our teachers. A teacher might take 100 photographs a day and she’ll see things in those photos that she might not have seen otherwise.” The Early Childhood teachers currently also work on daily blogs (including both photos and language about what the children are doing) that are shared with families and give them a priceless window into each day.

A national leader The Early Childhood Division under Debbie’s leadership has become increasingly well known both locally and nationally. Debbie herself has always been active in the external early childhood community, serving on the board of the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC), early childhood advisory committees for several organizations and attending (and presenting at) conferences and workshops

An Integrated Early Childhood/Lower School Program School Year 2012-2013 » The Early Childhood Program will be moved to the Lower School to better support the program and to fully integrate it into the life of the School. » A Lower School experience that begins at age three and goes through fourth grade will be created. Ages 3 and 4 will be in mixed-age classrooms, best supporting current early childhood research and allowing for flexibility in enrollment. » Early Childhood pedagogy and practice, particularly the influence of emergent curriculum, documentation and Reggio Emilia philosophy, will be integrated into the Lower School experience with Debbie and Crissy’s guidance. » There will be a continued and growing focus on Early Childhood philosophy and practice that will influence all aspects of the 3-year-old through Kindergarten experience, led by Debbie Green. » There will be continued growth in our strong elementary practice, grades one through four, led by Crissy Cáceres. » There will be an expanded focus on the beauty of our outdoor setting. We will create a state of the art outdoor classroom experience for all Lower School students at AFS. » A year of intensive and intentional professional development opportunities will be provided to faculty in preparation for a strong and healthy transition.

regularly. Several members of her faculty also enjoy presenting at conferences, further increasing the visibility of the program. “In addition,” says Debbie, “a lot of programs out there want to do these things differently but need to see it in action. It starts with us presenting and then those audience members want to come in and see what we’re doing. That continues to widen the network. One of our hopes is to lead some national conferences on the things we have been doing and I am confident that we will be doing so.”

Looking forward, Debbie hopes to build on the ideas she has developed and move them throughout the Lower School in collaboration with Lower School Director Crissy Cáceres.

They are both excited at the prospect of being able to bring together three and four-year olds in multi-age classrooms. “This has been a powerful vision for many years because children have the opportunity to be in a classroom with their teachers and peers for two school years. The multi-age grouping also more closely resemble family units, where older and younger children learn from one another in natural ways. They become a ‘family of learners’ who support and care for each other.”

Academic skills are deeply woven throughout the curriculum.

“Literacy skills and math skills can be woven in.

You’re counting the insects, you’re naming and writing about the bugs.”

27

A Conversation with Lower School Director Crissy Cáceres and Early Childhood Director Debbie Green The Vision Crissy Cáceres: As a part of an administrative retreat two summers ago, Rich asked the administration to think about their ideal vision for their divisions. What would allow for the most powerful and engaging experience for our students and their families?

growth that the Early Childhood Division had already done on making learning visible and the Reggio Emilia philosophy, Debbie and I knew that creating a shared experience between Lower School and Early Childhood was simply right.

Points of Continuity Debbie Green: We’ll continue the wonderful programming and brilliant teachers we’ve had for many years at AFS. It’s a continuation of what’s already really good, with programming that always allows for children’s voices.

Another point of continuity is our focus on our Quaker values and how central they are as well as the fact that we see families as integral to their children’s educational experience. Our use of the outdoors is both a point of continuity and evolution and growth in terms of how intentionally we’re going to be engaging with it.

Embracing Change

Lower School Director Crissy Cáceres We split into pairs and that was the start of an intense conversation between Debbie Green and myself about immersing our students in the best possible experience that would speak directly to their developmental needs and strengths. I’ve had such tremendous respect for the vision, growth and cohesion Debbie has managed to create in the Early Childhood Division.

Having worked for the first several years of my time at AFS on cultivating a positive culture of heightened curiosity, creative curricular design, reflection and collaboration, I wanted very much to add to this the aspect of visible documentation of children’s learning. Knowing the amount of work and

28

EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

CC: I am excited about the impact on the energy of our faculty at this stage. They are embracing the change and asking challenging questions. They are immersing themselves in Reggio Emilia philosophy as it can extend through Lower School and are willing to be pioneers in the independent school world. We are really stepping outside of the box and putting ourselves out there as models of risk takers in the world of 21st century learning. All of this is only possible because they are trusting a vision. Debbie and I are allowing for their voices to shape it.

DG: Our faculty are very excited about joining forces with the Lower School. It allows for an expansion of resources and also access to resource classrooms and faculty and additional professional development. That’s really a huge piece for them. For those coming, they are very excited about it.

Early Childhood Director Debbie Green

The Outdoor Classroom CC: Currently in Lower School the schedule allows for two outdoor experiences a day.

Those are mostly social engagement and free exploration rather than an intentional connection to the outdoors as a resource.

We also have creek walks, butterfly studies and other outdoor studies that are part of the curriculum.

Our new focus on outdoor learning involves a mindset shift. We will be expanding on what we already do to make it more intentional. We are eager to create a distinctive outdoor classroom—the first in the state certified by the Arbor Day Foundation—that builds upon our already beautiful setting with a natural playscape that includes hills, clusters of shrubs and trees, flower and vegetable gardens, trails, secret paths and more.

DG: An important thing to note is that the outdoor classroom concept is not a playground. We’re talking about an indoor environment being replicated outside, with opportunities for art, for music, for dramatic play on stages. All the things they can do indoors they will now be able to do outdoors.

Experiential Education Through ECCO

L

aunched in 2008, the ECCO Program has rapidly expanded since its inception, introducing our Middle and Upper School students to an ever-broader landscape of learning beyond the walls of the School. ECCO (Explore, Connect and Commit to Opportunities) has already engaged and inspired dozens of students through transformative internships, travel, arts and athletic opportunities that have helped them develop their distinctive identities and pursue their emerging passions.

ECCO Program Director Marnie Christian talks about opportunities with senior Dan Feinberg.

ECCO Director Marnie Christian says the program’s power rests not only in the actual placements that students experience but in the reflective dialogue and intense selfexamination that takes place both before and after the placement.

We recently sat down with Marnie to talk about the program’s evolution over the last few years.

Q. The ECCO Program is now in its fourth year. What insights have you gained in your work with students over this time?

A. One thing I have come to more fully appreciate is that this is not “once and done.” My work with students often calls for

a building approach over time. For example, a student who has never been away from home but has a passion that he or she wants to pursue might initially favor a local, short-term experience that is tightly structured, with a clearly defined outcome.

One year later the same student might knock at my door ready to embrace a much greater challenge, perhaps one that requires travel abroad, a longer time commitment or a greater level of autonomy.

So, an important aspect of my work is helping the student find the right challenge now, at his or her current stage of development. The progression our students engage in, indeed the entire ECCO Program, ties in nicely with the Quaker belief of continuing revelation.

Q. What are you hearing from our students? Are there common themes or insights emerging in your conversations with them?

A. Absolutely. One theme that has surfaced in a very powerful way is how experiential learning accelerates our students’ personal growth, I mean truly catapults them into a whole new level of development and allows them to gain a glimpse of their future, so to speak. I see the transformation take place, sometimes within a very short time.

Another thing students often speak of is the exposure to risk that their ECCO experience has afforded them. They have gained an important realization that a perceived “failure” does not need to derail them, but can instead strengthen and motivate them to further action. A student’s perception of failure can take many forms. Sometimes a student might not get into a program that he or she coveted, for reasons that lie outside of their control. Perhaps too many students from a similar background are interested in the same program and the program directors are looking to diversify the pool of participants. That happens on occasion, but the important lesson is to not let that disappointment dampen one’s enthusiasm.

So the next question quickly becomes “Where do I go from here?” Other times “failure” comes in the form of the student missing a flight and having to deal with that on his or her own.

“Many students speak of the joy they discover in the real-world experience…they realize they can make a difference, that they are capable, confident and independent individuals.”

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The ability to bounce back from failure, to remain resilient, is a critical life skill and it comes to us only through life experience, which is exactly what the ECCO Program offers.

Many students also speak of the joy they discover in the real-world experience.

Whether it is working in a rice field in Thailand or performing community service in a national park. They realize they can make a difference, that they are capable, confident and independent individuals.

ECCO Student Experiences Sam Pardys

Medha Ghosh

10th Grade

12th grade

Sam participated in a 15-day service,

As a sophomore, Medha volunteered at Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC). In her junior year, she applied and was accepted to FCCC’s yearlong High School Student Scientist Program. She currently works four to six hours a week in the lab of Jonathan Chernoff, M.D., PhD., where the focus is on finding therapeutic treatment for a rare cancer, neurofibromatosis type 2.

Q. What about the issue of access?

A. At AFS, we are deeply committed to providing access to education for students of every background and our commitment extends to the ECCO Program. Fortunately, we have relationships with many wonderful organizations that share our values. We work hard to identify programs or opportunities geared specifically for students of color, young women or any underrepresented population in certain interest areas.

learning and camping experience in northern California this past summer that included serving meals to San

Q. What are the most rewarding aspects of your work with ECCO?

Francisco’s homeless population, leading sports activities for school age children, maintaining trails near the Lake Tahoe region, exploring Yosemite

A. I never question the value or meaning of my work. It is exciting for me to be there when our students experience those important ah-ha moments and to watch them set off on their own.

To learn more about the ECCO Program, visit the AFS website.

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EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

National Park, surfing and more.

“I loved all of the service projects we worked on, but especially the ones where we spent time reading stories and playing sports with little kids. I really bonded with my peers in the program. We stay in touch and are already planning to travel abroad next year.”

“I’ve been really surprised by the reaction of others in the lab. Everyone treats me as an adult here. It’s not as if I am off to the side cleaning test tubes. I have outside reading to do, and I’ve learned to write up all of the procedures. I have to say that learning the math was pretty stressful at first, but Dina Stepanova, my mentor, has been gracious about my mistakes. She’s very strict though and has really taught me how to focus.”

Dan Gorziglia

Rebecca Fisher

Bria Biddle

12th grade

11th grade

11th grade

Dan attended a five-week residential learning experience in computer science at Drexel University Computing Academy (DUCA) where, as his group’s project manager, he oversaw the development of an iPhone application from Beta model through proof of concept.

In the summer of 2009, Rebecca, then a rising sophomore, participated in a French language immersion program at Middlebury College in Vermont. In summer 2010, she traveled to France for a photography and language immersion experience that involved a homestay. This past summer, Rebecca traveled to Thailand where she farmed in rice fields, helped build homes, volunteered in a Thai orphanage and practiced her French while visiting other countries in southeast Asia.

Bria attended a four-day residential program in sports medicine at the College of William and Mary where she worked in the school’s athletic training room, learned CPR and how to administer the automated external defibrillator. She enjoyed her experience so much she plans to enroll in a more advanced training program there next summer.

“My summer experience at DUCA introduced me to all fields of computer science, including computer engineering, robotics, programming, information systems, database management and humancomputer interaction. It helped me clarify what it is that I want to study in college. Before, I was torn between computer science or computer engineering, and now I know it’s the engineering aspect that I am more attracted to.”

“I am less concerned with following the crowd than I used to be and more open to trying things that aren’t easy. There were a lot of compromises that I had to make during my time in Thailand. I learned that things will go wrong at times and – so what – you have to compromise.

I learned to put aside my selfinterests and social discomforts.”

“When my parents dropped me off, I realized that I was prolonging our good-byes. I really didn’t want them to leave, but I met kids from all over the country and made friends quickly. I’m still in touch with them through Facebook.

Another girl and I are planning to enroll in the advanced program next summer.”

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Faculty Focus:

Creating a Faculty

AFS faculty are exploring, discovering and thinking in ways that are transforming our School from within

Mentoring Program

O

ur ability to “dream big” in our year of strategic planning would have been unthinkable without the energy and innovative thinking of our faculty. More than ever, we are a community of learners of all ages, and our adult learners are modeling an excitement, curiosity and vitality in their pursuit of knowledge and experience that is inspiring to all.

Upper School English Teacher Jenny Burkholder with colleagues, from left, Duran Perkins, Don Kaplan, Dina Cohen and Andrew Bickford.

Here, you can read about several teachers who have become fully absorbed in their learning lives. Many of these stories began with a summer fellowship, where the School supports faculty who want to explore and develop a particular aspect of the curriculum.

In every case, though, the learning took off with stunning velocity, taking the faculty to unexpected and inspiring places in their thinking and leading to new avenues of exploration they will happily spend many more months or years navigating.

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EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

As our faculty become immersed in their own learning lives they are also sharing their vision and findings increasingly with the wider world through conferences, workshops and publications. As we realize our Strategic Vision over the next few years, we foresee becoming a leader in sharing our learning with the community and within the larger world of independent education.

By Jenny Burkholder, Upper School English Teacher Compassion for the self and others is at the root of a yoga practice. Often I find myself getting in my own way, and I am easily frustrated by my body’s inability to do a pose.

It is here, in this moment of awareness, that I must remember to be compassionate, to let go of expectation, and to accept who and what I am in the moment. I work on this every time I practice, and I have begun to bring this same awareness into my teaching.

I came to AFS eight years ago knowing that I could practice being a reflective practitioner.

Being a reflective practitioner is imperative to teacher’s and student’s success. In a classroom, a teacher must consistently be reflecting on practice, asking difficult questions about the value of lessons, the methodology, and how well the students are engaged and learning from lessons.

Questioning oneself and one’s ideas and assumptions takes enormous courage and an ability to admit you were wrong or misguided with an idea, lesson, or preconceived notion. For me, admitting I am wrong or biased is very difficult, but I look at teaching and learning as a recursive process.

Mistakes can become successes. When I enter the classroom, I try to remember this idea and instill it in my students.

For me, the idea of a mentoring program became an excellent way to see my own practice in a new light. The intentional work needed to foster our new teachers’ acclimation into the AFS community and to help them to deepen their practice as educators was exciting. Now, I was able to develop a teacher-to-teacher support program that valued the insights of my experienced colleagues, who are able to model AFS values and provide a bridge between their mentees’ former experiences and their experience here. For the mentees, this program would help them to feel

empowered as a new community member and valued for the skills they bring. In typical AFS fashion, one day I stopped into Debbie Stauffer’s office, told her of my thoughts, then met with Martha Holland to brainstorm ideas, and suddenly, the whole project was mine!

As I ate chips and salsa from the back of Drew Benfer’s Volvo in the parking lot at a Union game, my research began. Here’s where I met Reid Pritchett, Headmaster of Bryn Athyn Church School. He and I discussed our professional lives—even though it was summer—and I told him of my charge: to design our new teacher mentoring program. His doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin was in this area, so he sent me an article he co-authored, “The Practical Wisdom of New Faculty Orientation at Brooks School.” This indispensible work examined how a teacher mentoring program integrated new faculty into the fabric and “network” of the community. Their challenges were our challenges: how to design a program that included the input of experienced teachers;

form: What do teachers new to AFS struggle with? What should we be discussing with mentors/mentees? What are the implicit ideas about AFS culture and philosophy that we all take for granted but a new teacher would not know? And what are the challenges of mentoring in our culture? I presented my work to my virtual committee, a group of my highly valued middle and upper school colleagues who had agreed to be a part of this mentoring project. We met on a Google doc for weeks to respond and discuss these questions. It was summer, after all!

Exploring these connections benefitted our work and helped us to think more critically about what a mentoring program at AFS should look like. Mentors welcomed our cohort of mentees on a balmy August afternoon at the Drake Tavern. Here in an informal setting, we had a chance to get to know our new colleagues. The afternoon drifted away as we listened to stories of moving, children, travels, fears and joys, and we shared with them about our lives both in and out of the AFS community. As the

“As the mentors handled questions about faculty dress code and upper school retreats, middle school homework assignments and whether or not to bring or buy lunch, they were helping our new teachers find their way and learn the lingo of AFS.”

how to build and develop a “collective identity” as a community; and how to tailor a program to each individual’s needs.

My journey also took me deeper into the AFS community. For two full weeks, while my girls were at AFSEP for the first time, I worked at school and interviewed my colleagues. I interviewed faculty who had been in the community for a long period of time and some who had recently arrived. It was from them that I began to develop my thinking about what this program should look like. The essential questions began to

mentors handled questions about faculty dress code and upper school retreats, middle school homework assignments and whether or not to bring or buy lunch, they were helping our new teachers find their way and learn the lingo of AFS. Since this meeting, we have developed a full mentoring program. It is a faculty-orientated structure meant to support and direct incoming AFS teachers. The program focuses on cultivating a shared knowledge of AFS culture, values and goals, as well as our beliefs about teaching. We meet

monthly, focusing on an idea or issue that pertains to the whole group, so we benefit from the wisdom of the whole group. So far, we have welcomed Debbie Stauffer and Renie Campbell to discuss the student support team and how this “team approach” supports our students on social, emotional and intellectual levels. We also have tackled the challenges and rewards of advising, using each other as resources in order to help our students. Our upcoming discussions include Quakerism and Quaker decisionmaking, multicultural work and professional development. Some of our teachers who are new to Quaker schools will also have a chance to attend the Educators New to Quakerism workshop in the spring. We sometimes share lunches or breakfasts to informally share our experiences or lean on each other for support. In addition, we plan to visit and observe one another’s classes, so we can truly be reflective practioners.

Each time I return to my yoga mat, I am challenged to cultivate my “beginner’s mind,” an attitude of openness and eagerness without preconceived notions.

I am challenged to “let go” of that which came before and live in the present. In those moments of true awareness, we are our “best selves.” My practice on the mat, in the classroom and with this mentoring program is a work in progress. Mentors and mentees learn and grow from each other, sharing lessons and insights about life at AFS. Already our new faculty has shown us new ways to think or imagine existing practices, and we have become a richer culture because of them.

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Learning as an

Attitude Shift Leslie Tran Middle School English Teacher Years at AFS: 5

Learning Life Leslie is pursuing a masters’ degree at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. Leslie has been closely involved with MAP (Multi-Racial Action Pedagogy), a two-year initiative at AFS focused on multi-racial pedagogy and she will present on this work at the National Association of Independent School’s People of Color Conference in Philadelphia this December.

Learning on the job When I was in college I had this one teacher who said her best training as a teacher was waitressing at a restaurant because it’s all about multitasking and when you’re with a person it’s about giving them one on one attention. I spent time working at Eastern Mountain Sports and l learned so much in that job in terms of listening to people.

The learning comes in the lifelong skills you’re acquiring.

Classroom as laboratory: Professional learning is not just about attending a conference and coming back but more about always seeing how the things around you connect to your classroom. It’s about taking an inquiry stance to everything you do and asking questions. It ‘s about a disposition that you adopt as a lifelong learner.

In my graduate work I’m looking at sustainability in schools and school leadership. I’m on that bridge between theory and practice. I’m able to do the reading and immediately think about how I’m going to try something out in the classroom. Last year, for example, I had a course on gender in education. For a long time I’ve been interested in the intersections between race inequality and education.

This helped me think about the intersection between race and gender and see it play out in my fourth grade classroom. With each

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EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

semester my classroom has always been my laboratory.

Taking risks After my first year at AFS I found out that the Wissahickon trail was a mecca for mountain biking so I went to Keswick Cycle in Glenside and bought a mountain bike hoping I could engage in that sort of risk. As teachers we often say you learn by taking risks but I myself wasn’t taking risks. So I learned how to hop logs and ride the trails. I felt it was important as a teacher to take risks myself and to see what it’s like being a student.

In the school leadership program I’m doing I’m often asked to do things I have not really done like give a speech in front of people or do data analysis of a standardized test. I’m learning what it means for an introvert to be a public leader. When I put myself in the shoes of students it helps me understand the craft of teaching and what kind of safe space they need to develop and be able to step outside of their comfort zones.

AFS and learning When I was applying to different schools one of the questions I asked was what are the professional development opportunities that you have for your faculty and I chose to work at AFS because it was so flexible. The leadership allows you to choose your own learning path and they support you. If I’m

interested in media literacy, for example, I can just submit a proposal as opposed to being forced to go to something. So the learning here is both teacher centered and student centered.

I also recognize the importance of leadership. It was amazing working with Crissy [Lower School Director Crissy Cáceres] because she put those things in front of me. She said I know you have these strengths and I want to challenge you. The leadership in the school has allowed me to grow as a student.

“The leadership [at AFS]allows you to choose your own learning path and they support you… the learning here is both teacher centered and student centered.”

Creating a

How the idea evolved

Science Website

I came up with the idea last spring when I was looking at a website with video tutorials.

I thought I would love to do something like that called Roo U that would link to our website. I spent the summer working on a design and figuring out how to make a website. In the end I decided I would love it to be a community thing, with the kids doing the filming and editing. We would have teachers explaining on video how to do a problem. Kids that are really confident we could have them be the teacher.

Jordan Burkey Upper School Physics Teacher Years at AFS: 12

Summer Fellowship Proposal To develop the idea for a website featuring videos with explanations of a variety of academic concepts and topics for students who need reinforcement.

The most obvious use would be if a kid misses class. They could watch a video of

the concept or principle that was taught.

Sometimes kids are tired or not paying full attention. They could play the video over again that night. It would be great for reinforcement. And once they watch a video they can go to a quiz on that topic. It would be a real learning resource for them to use at home. They could pause or rewind and add to their notes.

The fact that I teach physics was part of what made me want to do this. It’s a difficult subject. Some kids always get it while others need to see something three or four times and we just don’t have time in class. So the idea that they could have a resource where they could watch it again at their speed was very appealing.

Community buy-in I presented the idea at a faculty meeting in the fall and got a great response. Twelve kids also signed up to work on it as an activity.

Probably within the next month or so we’ll videotape our first lesson and load it on to an internal website. By the end of the year hopefully we’ll have a dozen or so physics videos on it. I also want to be able to give tutorials to other teachers on how to do it, so that other teachers can feel comfortable.

Becoming a technophile The technology has been a little intimidating, I’ll admit. Over the last three or four years I’ve been trying to incorporate technology more and more. I’ve had a hard time turning that corner and really embracing it. The fact that we now have laptops and all the training John Rison [AFS Technology Director] has given us has really helped.

And this is how we need to communicate with kids. As faculty we need to try to embrace it even more and look for ways to get on the electronic bus.

Being a learner at AFS It’s really hard to put a finger on but there’s just something about teaching and working here. Martha [Holland] as head of the Upper School has really reinvigorated our broader thinking and gotten us all wanting to make the school the best we can make it and think about bigger topics.

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Exploring

Looking at what we have

Big takeaways

Outdoor Learning

The teachers spent time exploring our campus to reacquaint themselves with the riches we have on our own property. “We looked at the whole campus,” says Rosanne, “and what kinds of things you could do in different areas of the campus utilizing what we have across all divisions. We looked at math, science, language arts, music, phys ed. The stream, we realized, could be a restoration project, and we have so many incredible trees, we could start an arboretum project. We also looked at the meadows, the gardens around the Lower School science room and Kathy’s room and outside the cafeteria. It really made me look at our campus with new eyes because we tend to take so much of our campus for granted and we have a wealth of resources here that we really need to utilize. Just by walking through the campus it was really eye opening.”

Before we can get children interested in saving the earth, they have to learn to love it. That was the big takeaway for Rosanne.

“How can you save something if you don’t love it? We have to shift our focus. You want kids to love being outside.”

A group of Lower School teachers spent the summer exploring outdoor education through research. Their work began with a visit from the Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps educators find ways to connect students with nature. Over the summer months four teachers— Science Teacher Rosanne Mistretta, Art Teacher Samantha Matlock and Kindergarten Teacher Kathy Lopez—spent time reading, rediscovering Abington Friends’ outdoor spaces and traveling to off-campus sites for inspiration.

Samantha was struck by the idea that we need to eliminate kids’ fear of being outside.

“Many of them are afraid of bugs, worms, getting dirty,” she says. “We have to get them out there, get them to look at and appreciate bugs and their beauty, open their eyes, allow them to get dirty.”

Kathy was excited at the number of ways they found to incorporate the outdoors into the curriculum and looks forward to being a resource for teachers and perhaps curriculum guides for outdoor learning in different subject areas.

Gathering inspiration Kathy Lopez traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to see first-hand a fully developed outdoor classroom space created by Dimensions Educational Research Foundation. “They’ve created a huge outdoor classroom,” she says, “with an art area, a messy area, a climbing area, a stage and four marimbas.

There were scarves hanging from trees, a bridge that made noise when you walked across it and pathways of different textures.”

How to get other teachers excited Why connect kids with the outdoors?

Although we tend to instinctively feel that being outdoors is good for children, the Lower School teachers wanted to find clear, research-based evidence. It turns out, says Kathy, that a lot of research has been done.

“Even for kids with ADHD, it helps them be better able to focus. When kids work in planting a garden, they’re more inclined to eat healthier. And kids outside tend to play in groups and teams, so it fosters a sense of teamship. The research surprised me a bit.

I knew nature was good but didn’t know it helped kids focus more and fostered social skills. You think it’s a treat to be outside but it’s eye-opening to learn the specifics.”

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EDUCATION FOR A CHANGING WORLD

The teachers wanted others in their division to experience some of their learning and came up with the idea of hosting a day at Briarbush Nature Center, where much of what they had been discovering about outdoor learning has been put into practice with “outdoor classrooms.” It proved to be an inspiring day, with the teachers able to see all the possibilities, including how to include volunteers in the community.

Throughout the morning, teachers cycled through different activities, with learning areas set up for writing, journaling, math, language arts and music.

On working together “Working with Rosanne and Sam was awesome,” says Kathy. “Every time we talked about it somebody had to rein us back in.

There are just so many ways to go with this.”

It’s our passion, agrees Sam, “and the possibilities are endless.”

“I feel in some way my whole career has been building toward this,” adds Rosanne, “because it feels like it’s a culmination of all the right thinking.”

alumni reunions «

The Class of 1961

How could 50 years have passed since our Class of 1961 was graduated from AFS? Many of us had seen each other over the years, but this was the largest gathering ever. We had 23 of us attending the three-day event at The Joseph Amber Inn. Becky Conlon Brown travelled the greatest distance from the UK. We felt fortunate to have so many attend, as seven of our classmates are deceased.

We began on Thursday evening with a casual dinner for early arrivals.

Friday was an open day with many arriving, some going to Arbor Day, Longwood Gardens or just relaxing. The evening was our celebration of the ‘50s with music, dress and decorations recalling those happy memories.

Head of School, Rich Nourie came to dinner and welcomed us back.

On Saturday we were up early to go to AFS for meeting at the Little Meeting House across from Jenkintown Manor. The Meetinghouse we knew was booked for a wedding. Then it was back to the school for tours, lunch and our class picture.

Saturday evening was our “elegant dinner” and silent auction at The Joseph Ambler Inn. The silent auction along with a matching gift raised $3,000 for us to gift to the school.

Clockwise (L-R): Susan Phillips Vaughen, Linda Latta Williams, Mary Sullivan Fairbanks, Becky Conlon Brown, and Terri Margolis Mishalove; Janet Kaufman Nagel, Lydia Potts Quill, Mary Jo McConnell Melberger, Sandy Van Anglen Freshcorn, Susie Phillips Vaughen; Terri Margolis Mishalove, class president

Sunday morning we gathered in the parlor of The Joseph Ambler Inn for our own class meeting for worship. Just as our meeting held five years ago in Florida was emotional and fulfilling, this meeting was, too.

Following meeting there were many emotional hugs and tears and meaningful memories in our hearts and minds of a beautiful weekend. We left in peace.

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The Class of 1957 Four of us had a mini-reunion this past July. Joan High Putney had recently moved to nearby Rydal Park, and Judy Hawley Hughes, Carolyn Parry Decker and Liz Coburn Cole gathered to check out her new digs. It’s always special when even a few of us share lunch and a lot of conversation together.

Gwen Gehring retired at the end of 2009 from working for the City of Virginia Beach. She reports, “I’ve been killing myself working in the garden ever since.” Come on, Gwen, you’ve been swimming in that pool too, right? She enjoys her several cat and dog pets. A big fan of New Orleans and its Saints football team, she just returned from vacationing there. Next spring she and a friend plan a cruise in the Caribbean with a friend. Son Richard Clark is a lawyer. Daughter Melissa Clark Wool and husband have a daughter, who is currently a freshman at University of Alabama. They all live nearby.

«

Class of 1991 Ginny Wriggins Hochella and husband Norm are living in daughter Mary’s home, which has been expanded to accommodate them. Both are limited physically, but Ginny helps Mary, now a single mom, with meals and kids. Harper is 7, has Downs syndrome, and is in first grade learning her alphabet and socializing with other students. She participates in horseback riding therapy and loves it. Mary takes Elijah to day care near her job with Follett, publisher of textbooks, two hours away. Coincidentally, Ginny worked at the same facility – well, a few years back. The sound of little feet paddling down the hall to visit Ginny and Norm are a daily joy. Ginny, with a degree in Biology, also enjoys a pond out their window, and recently had a visit there from a Great Blue Heron.

We have a 55th reunion coming up in the spring, ladies.

Start planning now, and we’ll get details to you later!

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ALUMNI EVENTS

The class of ’91 enjoyed their 20th reunion on April 30 at Drake’s Tavern in Jenkintown. It was great to catch up with old friends! Those in attendance were Andy Behrend, Judith Gold Friedman, Josh Grabar, Jennifer Abramson Green, Fatih Gurk, Mark Sandos and Marc Waterman.

Above (l to r): Judith Gold Friedman, Jennifer Abramson Green Top (l to r): Jennifer Abramson Green, Judith Gold Friedman, Mark Sandos, Marc Waterman (2nd row): Andy Behrend, Josh Grabar

Class of 1986 » The Class of 1986 held its 25th Reunion in Jenkintown on May 7. Some of us gathered on Saturday morning at the Little Meetinghouse at the Abington Art Center, where we were able to join in Meeting for Worship with alumni of all ages, reunite with each other and a few of our beloved teachers like Bruce Brownell and Larry Wilkins.

After Meeting, we strolled over to the festivities of Roo Fest on the school's campus. This all-school carnival is a smorgasbord of activities for kids of all ages. Student musicians serenaded us from the Grand Stage as we ate a delicious lunch and met MORE of our teachers (who are still at AFS!): Kristine Long, Debbie Stauffer and Carol Palmer, to name a few.

To walk on the campus of AFS, it seems that everything has changed ...and nothing has changed. Later that evening we hit the "hot spot of Abington" –The Kitchen Bar—for drinks, photos and lots of catching up. To those who were there, thanks for taking the time to join us!

For those unable to join us, you were missed. Hope to see you before the 30th!

Send in your Class Note and keep in touch. Special thanks to Jeanie Engelbach, Karen Cherry McGann and Wendy Goldberg for all their help in getting our class together.

Jenny B. Hammond

Scott Erman, Pam Hamburg Helzner Below: Left: Jenny Bornholdt Hammond, RooJ Right: Jeanie Engelbach, Matt Sherman, Jeanne Jackowski Tal

Jackie Schultz, Binnie Shusman

Dawn Weiss Penner, Scott Erman

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82 30th Reunion RE UN I O N CHA I R Heidi Miller Garnick ’82: hgarnick@obdyke.com

classnotes 1934

1974

Natalie High Loomis writes, “I am 94, living alone in my house on the water. I keep busy doing volunteer work and seeing my family! I have eight great grandchildren!”

Jill Berger and Paula Webster Grant write, “Paula and I are working with a talented singer/songwriter, Rob A (Robert Allen).

Rob worked on two of this year’s Grammy nominated contemporary R & B albums, R. Kelly’s Untitled and Chris Brown’s Graffiti.

Another client, Harold S. Reed Jr., author of Find a Way To Make a Way: You’re Either Part of the Problem or part of the Solution, a motivational book with a new twist, has had a busy year with many book signings, two of which were at the famed Harlem Hue-Man Bookstore & Café. Harold is currently working on his second book. Paula and I are looking forward to the new opportunities currently on the horizon for phillybass’d Entertainment. (www.phillybassdent.com).

1941 Emilie Walker Oppenheim sketches images in postcard format.

1986 1945 Nancy Goldman Koenigsberg has a new website: www.nancykoenigsberg.com.

1952 Joan Schneiderwirth Daw’s photos were displayed in the library. Along with many archival items such as her Commencement invitation, diploma, and school photo.

1966 Frances Conkey Trafton writes, “Laura ’69 and I are spending considerable time with our mother, Alice Conkey (AFS faculty and admin 1960-1983, I think!) with plans to take her to the lake in Maine for the summer.”

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Jennifer Bornholdt Hammond writes, “I continue to work at Deerfield Academy in the Alumni Relations office. It's great fun and there's never a dull moment. One of the better moments was being able to road trip with AFS alumni Melissa Perkins ’10, Elena Coleman ’09 and Meghan Daly ’10 for the Boston Alumni Reception on March 3, 2011. Western Mass was there to represent :-). In other news, our Class of 1986-25th Reunion in May started out with Meeting for Worship, continued on campus and ended with drinks in Abington, PA. Two short weeks later, I marched in the Smith College Alumnae Parade as an honored guest, receiving the Smith Fund Award for Exemplary Leadership.

What a great month to connect with long-time friends both at AFS and Smith. As always, I would love to hear from any and all AFS folks!

87 25th Reunion RE UN I O N CHA I RS Bob Topkis ’87 and Gary Carter ’87: rtopkis@comcast.net Melissa Jacoby has been named the Graham Kenan Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also won the inaugural Robert G. Byrd Award for Excellence and Creativity in Teaching. She teaches and studies bankruptcy and commercial law. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband Mark Weidemaier, who also is a professor at UNC.

1988 Sara Dworski Kleiner writes, “I am still teaching at Rydal Elementary and enjoying every minute! Julie (15), Sam (13) and Lauren (6) love AFS ... almost as much as I did!”

1991 Oren and Judith Gold Friedman welcome the birth of Maya on May 17, 2011. Maya joins her big brothers Benjamin (3) and Micah (2). Judith and Oren recently moved back to Philadelphia after living in Rochester, MN for 8 years. “With 3 kids, we decided it was time to live close to grandparents again! We are really enjoying being back in Philadelphia. Oren is the Director of Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery at University of Pennsylvania.”

92 20th Reunion RE UN I O N CHA I RS Michelle Yorkman ’92 and Molly Foley ’92: mollyfoley33@gmail.com

1996

2001

2005

Danielle Barsky writes, “Hello AFS Alumni!

My husband and I are now owners of the Signs By Tomorrow store in Bryn Mawr, PA. We look forward to hearing from you!

Rebecca Ball married Jack Blacketer on August 7, 2011.

Matthew Ball is a software engineer living in Providence, RI.

Melissa Green Present writes, “I am excited to share that my husband Josh and I welcomed our son Harry Jonathan Present on August 20, 2011. He is doing great and cannot wait to make his first trip to AFS soon!”

Christopher Salata graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. in Economics.

He resides in Salt Lake City, UT.

97 15th Reunion REUNION CHAIR Jared Solomon ’97: jaredgsolomon@gmail.com Brian Ford writes, “A few quick updates: This past August I became a Pennsylvania Special Education Hearing Officer. Our second son, Samuel, was born this past May. Emily, Alexander, Samuel and I moved to Allentown this past July and things have finally started to settle down.”

Michael Haberman writes, “Happy to share with you that Brandon William Haberman was born Friday 10/15 at 10:20 p.m. Mom and Brandon are doing well and resting…

He was 7lbs, 12oz, 21 long and like many of us Phillies fans he could barely watch the bottom of the ninth, but he is thrilled to see the series come back to Philly.

Andrew Repasky McElhinney successfully defended his PhD dissertation, Second Takes – Remaking America: A Psychoanalytic Reading of English Language Cinema, 1931 - 1998 at The European Graduate School, Switzerland.

2003 Middle school sweethearts Melissa Ward Schorsch and Adam Schorsch tied the knot in July of 2010 where it all began, at Abington Monthly Meeting. Laura Manno ’03, Jon Wessel ’03, Christina Schorsch ’10, Hannah Schorsch ’13, Nick Schorsch ’04 and Alison Simon ’03 were in the wedding while many alumni attended the celebration. Melissa and Adam live in Manhattan’s East Village where she works as a magazine editor and writer and he works in commercial real estate finance.

Who knew they’d go from seventh grade to down the aisle?

2000 Corey Heller and his wife Rachel welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Joey, on 9/28/2011.

Mom and baby are doing great!

Jeff Kahn proposed to Liz Myrtetus ’07 the evening of May 19 at the Philadelphia Art Museum. They started dating 6 years ago at AFS when Liz was in 10th grade and Jeff in 11th. They now live in South Philadelphia and attend Drexel University for graduate school.

Jeff will be earning a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Liz a PhD in Applied Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Their beloved rescue-Akita, Oki, will be serving as the ring barer at in the September 2012 Quaker wedding service.

2007

1998 Shalimar Reddy writes, “In January 2011 I graduated with my MBA in Healthcare Management from Temple University’s Fox School of Business. I am currently working fulltime while pursing a Fellowship for the American College of Healthcare Executives.

My daughter Taylor is currently in 6th grade at Abington Friends and loving every minute of it.”

2006

2004 Becky Molotsky writes, “I’m pursuing my MPH in health policy at Columbia University and working at the American heart association.”

David Waterman writes, “I’m getting my Masters in Information Systems Management at Carnegie Mellon University.”

Katy Wolfe graduated cum laude from Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), with a double major in English (creative writing focus) and Africana Studies and double minor in Political Science and Peace Studies. She completed a poetry manuscript as a Senior Independent Study (with a grade of A+, giving her a 4.0 over her last semester) and was encouraged to try to publish it. She also completed two independent senior projects: publishing a magazine she created called “Please Pass the Peace and Carrots” featuring writings and artwork about peace, and developed a “Pathways to Peace” short-term study abroad curriculum. As a junior, she received the Alice Brandt Deeds ’45 Prize for Creative Writing, and this year received the Elizabeth and Ruth Young Peace Prize and a

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President’s Civic Leadership Award. Last year, she studied abroad at the University of Ghana and in Egypt. She also studied Arabic until this year. She and her boyfriend decided to spend another year living in Geneva working, while Katy takes the GREs and applies to grad school. She just accepted a job working with delinquent youth in a residential treatment center.

2011 graduate notes

2008

Alexis Anderson: “I love you guys very much! I wish you nothing but success and will miss our days in AFS!”

Meredith “Merry” Dixon has been accepted to Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine “Adventures in Veterinary Medicine Program” for undergrads this summer. AVM is a career exploration program where students will attend classes, labs, and have hands-on experience with a variety of animals. Merry is a junior and Dean's List student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Max Manstein is going into to his fourth season as a member of the Hobart Rugby Team and was recently selected as Captain of the squad. Max has started at the position of scrumhalf for Hobart for his entire Rugby career. In their season opener, Hobart defeated Alfred University in dominating fashion. With a score of 25-5, Hobart looks to work off this momentum for the upcoming league game against Buffalo State University.

Coming up only one win short of making the Division II national tournament last season, Max and the Hobart Rugby team are working hard to avenge the unwanted end to the season.

Every spring, members of the graduating class come to the Alumni Office to enter their first class note and anticipate their life after AFS.

Yusra Aziz: “Hey everyone! I sincerely hope you’re all having a good time in college. I hope you’ve been expanding your minds with interesting and engaging classes and that your professors are as awesome as the teachers we had at AFS! I hope having independence is treating you well also!

Let me know how you are, always!”

Madeline Bagley: “Thank you AFS for all that you have done for me! I can’t imagine going to another school and I will miss everyone!”

Jeffrey Basch: “So many of you have impacted my life and experience at AFS. I can’t imagine leaving this community and the fact that I am graduating in three days is too difficult to wrap my mind around. I believe we will all understand the importance of AFS in some form or another during our college experiences. I wish the best of luck to everyone of our classmates and I hope to bring with me to college the memories I have shared with you guys.”

2010 David Zaslav was the Musical Director for the Tufts University production of The Fantasticks, which was presented April 23 and 24, 2011.

Class notes are compiled by the Alumni Office. You can submit a class note by calling Anna Stiegel Glass in the Alumni Office (215-576-3966), via email to alumni@abingtonfriends.net. Please submit photos as .jpgs at a resolution of 300 dpi or higher.

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CLASSNOTES

Jennifer Bierhoff: “I’m gonna miss everybody! Have a great summer and good luck at college!”

Brittany Botts: “Class of 2011, we made it!!! I am so proud of all 83 of you and honored to have been a part of such a wonderful group of students. We truly made history. Not only by being the largest class, but by being the class who led the AFS Upper School with pride and passion. On the stage, the basketball court, and in Meeting for Worship, we have always been seen as an outstanding group. I will miss this bond that we have shared for so long but I wish you all the best.”

Ellen Carney: “I don’t even know where to start. The relationships I have formed with the people in my class are too great to even put in words. While I will not see you all on a daily basis, please know that you will forever be a part of me and a part of the person I have become. I have changed so much over the years, I like to think for the better, and you have all been a huge part of that. I will miss you all so much but I know whenever we come back home to AFS our relationships will be just as strong as they were the day we graduated.”

Emily Delany: “Best of luck to all of my friends from the class of 2011! Thank you to all of the teachers at AFS who have changed my life, and shaped my future for the best.”

Genesis Feliz: “AFS Class of 2011, we did it, fina11y!”

Arielle Fisher: “Take the opportunities given.”

Zachary Fisher: “Love y’all just remember to shoot for the stars but stay safe and do your best in life.”

Margaret Furlong: “Love as long as you live, laugh as much as you breath, take in what see and learn, Class of 2011.”

Justin Golden: “I miss Lisa from Development, Dan Dratch, Brian Cassady, Jordan Burkey and Jon harris, great guy.

Hope the class of 2012 is living the dream without us. I miss all of you guys a lot.”

Martin Greenberg: “Good luck next year!”

Rebecca Greenberg: “I hope everyone is having a great time at college! I miss being a part of our class. Go Class of 2011!”

Emilie Grossman: “Thank you to the class of 2011 for making AFS my home and this community my family.”

Taylor Harding: “It’s been a blast these past 6 years and I’m going to miss all of you next year! I need people to come visit me in South Carolina because I’m going to be away from everybody. Congrats to everyone and good luck!”

Alex Harley: “Dear Class of 2011, I really enjoyed meeting all of you guys. Through rough times and good times, you guys helped create a home for me in this tight knit community, and I won’t forget the happiness I felt hearing your recognitions when it came time to graduate. Although we’ll all be separated by college, I know that an AFS connection is only a phone call, a facebook comment/message, an email/text/whatever other kinds of technological messaging systems they created, away. Haha thanks for three wonderful years! :)” Bria Howard: “You guys are an incredible group of people who have achieved so much in our years at Abington Friends School. I’m going to miss seeing all of you everyday and sharing amazing memories and laughs in the hallways and classrooms. You all have the ability to achieve so much in life and I can’t wait to hear about all that you achieve. Reach for the moon.

If you fall, you’ll land among the stars.”

Evelyn Kallenbach: “Dear Class of 2011, I’ll really miss you guys and I’ve enjoyed getting to know you over the years. I hope everyone is having a great time at college and I know you will all be successful. Keep in touch. Love you guys!”

Daniela Kolodesh: “Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well in college and back at AFS. I hope you guys miss me...because I miss everyone. I hope all of you guys are staying focused and pursuing whatever your heart is telling you to do. I can’t wait to see what the best class in the history of AFS has achieved in 10 years at the reunion. Shout out to Niall, the best advisor and Barb, the best art teacher ever. SHOUT OUT TO THE LUNCH CREW LOVE YOU GUYS! Marc London: “M Cash Man HOLLA ATCHA. DARCMAN” Matthew MacNaughton: “You are all winners, except for the losers.”

Nikhil Madan: “Have fun.”

Jennifer Mamrol: “I loved my time at Abington Friends, and it was due to everybody in the entire class of 2011! Hope everybody has an amazing time in college! Keep in touch!”

Kelly McGlynn: “Whatsup” Payne McMillan: “Don’t work so hard you don’t have time to party.”

Susanna Meyer: “Keep on keepin’ on.”

Lindsey Miller: “Hey Class Of 2011, WE DID IT! It feels like it went by so fast, but it sure was fun. I’m gonna miss all of you, and I hope you all do great in college and make the best of it cause as we all learned time flies!

Love you all!”

Dylan Moody: “Much Love to every member of the class of 2011. Stay true to yourself and never change only adjust. “ Casey Mutchler: “I love my class of 2011. We have had such great times together and I know that some of us will be friends forever.

My lunch table was the best. No contest. I miss everyone already. I know everybody misses me. Shout out to all of my friends and my junior friends Micaela and Brittany!

And to Janet Frazer, Donna Russo, my all-time favorite teachers, and Niall for always making me feel very uncomfortable.”

Aaron Podietz: “Hey, class, you’re totally good at doing things.”

Rohan Prabhu: “Hey Class, I hope everyone has been enjoying there time at College. Right now we’re getting ready for graduation and its kind of bittersweet. I’m excited to start college, but I’ve always made so many amazing friendships here I don’t want to leave behind.

Keep in touch, even though I’m far away, I won’t forget all our experiences/memories we’ve had together. See you at Homecoming Meeting for Worship and reunions!”

Kyle Pucci: “Although I didn’t spend my entire AFS career with the class of 2011, I loved being with everyone and was so happy they accepted me as one as their own. Love you guys! Thank you for giving me a senior year… second senior year, that I can remember forever!”

Maria Ratskevich: “Thank you so much to the Class of 2011 for being such a great group of people to have spent my time at AFS with... I will miss everyone so much and hope to see everyone at Homecoming!”

Nikolas Regalbuto: “AFS = My Family.

Love all you.”

Alexander Rojavin: “If I ever see one of you randomly, I’m just gonna run over and hug you. Restraining orders may follow.

Accusations of abuse might also be present.

You probably won’t be able to breathe. We’ll get over all of this eventually.”

Daniel Schiano: “Cash Rules Everything Around Me, C.R.E.A.M. Get the money, dollah dollah bill ya’ll -Darc Man” John Simone: “I know every single student in the class of 2011 will be remembered for their great personalities here at AFS. I can only name those that I’ve kept close to me my entire high school career here aka the entire basketball team, Jabril Trawick, Joey Gripper, Dylan Moody, Kenny Johnson, Jesse Dougherty, Tim Israel, Elliot Williams, Jordan Burrell, Shaq Vaughn, Bijan Sosnowski, Mike Washington. The greatest friends and teammates anyone could ask for.”

Bijan Sosnowski: “Shout out to my teachers John, Chris, Senora, Brian, Rusty, Reine, Carol, Donna, Susan E., Janet and last but not least NIALL HOOD. Shout out to my Bruvs: JT5, Moods, Johnson, Grip, Simone, Mike Wash, Gabriel, Rozay, Niko, Zandy, Tim, Malik, Sudan, Stroff, Jeff, Segal, Vernose, Jesse, Myers. #swag #basedgod #YRGang #NTLF Shout out to my Sisters: Rachi, Megan, Casey, Kelsey, Maria, Ellen, Emily, Lexi, Reeci, Mags, Donna, Bria, Priya, Vicki, Miano, Hannah, Cali, Boyd #Weout” Shaquille Vaughn: “I love you all. If you ever need anything in life, please don’t hesitate to hit a brother up. If you’re in DC anytime during the next few years, please let me know so we can hang out.”

Jasmin Velez: “Hey Everyone! I hope that the first few months of your college life have been exceptionally fun and fulfilling. I cannot imagine being a part of another class, because each and every one of you made my high school experience memorable and exciting. I hope you are all doing well, and I wish you all the best of luck with college and anything you aspire to become. Stay in touch! I love you very much Class of 2011 and continue being AWESOME! Much Love, Jasmin Velez.”

Stacy Wanerman: “Dear Class of 2011 There are so many memories I have with some of you as individuals and as a class. You’ve made my past 10 years here amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

I love you all, and I hope you keep in touch.”

Michael Washington: “Thanks to everyone!

You all gave me some great memories that I’m gonna carry around with me the rest of my life. Shout out to the ball team and my team SWIRV boys. Love y’all.”

Alex Zega: “Thanks for all the memories!”

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in memoriam Jean Breuninger Straub ’45 Jean was born Nov. 3, 1925 in Philadelphia, the daughter of Edward and Ida Breuninger.

She attended Abington Friends School (’45) and Stevens College, MO. She died of complications from laryngeal cancer on February 6, 2011.

Upon graduation, Jean worked at the Franklin Institute and at her father’s business, Breuninger Dairies. She was married to Edward E. Straub, Jr. in 1954. Following her divorce she cared for her mother before moving to Florida in 2004. She is survived by two children: daughter, Vickie Doyle of Purcellville VA with two grandchildren and son Edward (Sandy) Straub of Miami Beach, FL; sister, Evie Peck of Sarasota, FL; brother, Edward Breuninger of Lansdale, PA; niece, Janet Karasz of Mesa, AZ; nephew, Allen Breuninger of Wyncote, PA; and their families.

Jean’s son, Edward (Sandy) Straub, sent us this appreciation of his mother. “It is with a heavy heart that my sister and I share the news of our Mom’s passing on Sunday morning the 6th of February. While fighting cancer for more than a year, she continued to be the inspiring and spirited individual we all knew and loved. Saturday night the 5th, we had an especially peaceful and soothing

44

IN MEMORIAM

dinner together. When I woke her from her nap earlier that afternoon she put her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder. She asked if there was anything wrong with her as I was spending so much time with her. I assured her nothing was wrong, I just loved being with her. She never feared and never complained of any pain. It was simply her time to go. Not three weeks before we had gone to Neiman’s for lunch, a few cashmere sweaters and blue jeans. Before we left the mall she insisted on a chocolate ice cream cone … with jimmies no less. She truly enjoyed every lick of life.”

Iona was a member of the Doylestown United Methodist Church and served as a wedding coordinator. She was a dedicated volunteer at Abington Memorial Hospital for more than 40 years and had recently received her 8,000-hour service award. The Order of the Eastern Star was an important part of Iona’s life. She found joy in traveling to Long Beach Island, enjoying the peaceful calm of the ocean waves. She lovingly cared for her husband, children and many friends.

In addition to her husband, Iona is survived by her daughter, Heather Lynn, her son, Harley Albert and his wife, Kathryn.

Iona ‘Sandy’ Sanders Purvin ’51 Iona died peacefully on Thursday, October 6, 2011, in the presence of her family at dawn at her home in Buckingham Township. She was 78.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Jenkintown, she was the only daughter of the late Harley Meredith and Lillian Ferguson Sanders. Iona lived most of her life in Buckingham with Albert, her husband of 41 years. She was an alumnus of Abington Friends School, Class of 1951, and Peirce School of Business. She retired from the Central Bucks School District as an educational aide.

Douglas A. Roberts ’79 Douglas, a lawyer, philanthropist and investor residing in La Jolla, California, passed away on September 21, 2011.

A private family service was held.

Please submit obituary announcements of the greater alumni community to the Alumni Office. Submissions are welcomed with or without a photo (at 300 dpi or greater). Electronic submissions are preferred and may be sent to alumni@abingtonfriends.net.

THE AFS

ANNUAL FUND

it’s for everyone Upcoming Alumni Events Together we can reach our goal of: $450,000 And 65% parent participation

EVERY GIFT MATTERS Learn more about the Annual Fund and opportunities for giving and volunteering at www.abingtonfriends.net

Homecoming 2011: November 23, 2011 Alumni Basketball Game: January 7, 2012 AFS Community Talent Show: February 11, 2012 Boston Alumni Event at the MFA: March 14, 2012 Arbor Day: April 27, 2012 Reunion Weekend and Roo Fest: May 4-5, 2012 Commencement: June 13, 2012 Questions? Please contact Anna S. Glass, Director of Alumni Affairs at astiegel@abingtonfriends.net or 215.576.3966.

Please see the AFS Website, www.abingtonfriends.net, or the AFS Facebook Group “Alumni of Abington Friends School” for additional event details.

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Horsham, PA Permit No. 90 575 Washington Lane, Jenkintown, PA 19046

Calendar Highlights Alumni Basketball Game: January 7 Middle and Upper School Concert: January 11 AFS Community Wrestling Event: January 17 AFS Community Talent Show: February 11 Middle School Play: March 8-9 Parenting in the 21st Century: March 17 All-School Science Night: April 11 Upper School Play: April 19-21 Upper School Concert: April 25 Reunion Weekend and Roo Fest: May 4-5 Middle School Concert: May 24 Commencement: June 13

oakleaves Fall 2011

The Strategic Vision for AFS

Education for a Changing World Vision in Action Campaign Wrapup Report on Gifts Summary Alumni Reunions Class Notes