JEM Update

BY LAURA DOWNS

On March 29th, 16 Upper School students and three faculty boarded a plane to Costa Rica for the first JEM trip in more than three years! They explored a range of ecosystems in a country known for its progressive environmental sustainability practices and visited “local visionaries” who are working to preserve the country’s ecological and cultural diversity and promote a sustainable path forward. They also had the chance to visit Monteverde Friends School, a bilingual K-12 Quaker school high in the Monteverde cloud forest. The trip represents the renewal of what for over three decades has been one of Buckingham Friends School’s signature experiences: immersion in a different culture and direct engagement with the ways that environmental issues affect and are addressed in countries around the world.

The virtual connections we nurtured during the pandemic continue to thrive—including ongoing pen pal programs with students at our partner schools in France and India, and new virtual exchange activities with schools in Australia, Mexico, and Kazakhstan. On campus, our rebooted JEM student club has been meeting weekly to develop an array of projects that promote sustainability at our School, while the new JEM faculty committee continues to craft a strategic plan for the program, honoring and building on the foundation so many in our community established, to guide us into the future with intention and innovation.

After graduating from BFS in 2012, Francesca Crimi built on her JEM experience and continued to seek opportunities to travel to new and exciting places while experiencing the rich culture of each destination. “Traveling to India through JEM in eighth grade at BFS taught me to embrace the unknown with curiosity,