Carolina Friends School: How We Teach and Learn

Carolina Friends School

an introduction

how we teach and learn

different by design

at carolina friends, learning is dynamic, experiential, and interactive.

students encounter open-ended questions, undertake original projects of real relevance, explore the natural world, and immerse themselves in service learning. in doing so, they build impressive powers of critical, creative, and independent thinking and expression.

It is an exceptional education shaped by a clear set of beliefs: a commitment to quaker values, a love of children, and a sense of hope for the communities, local and global, they will soon lead and serve.

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education for action

“I see the School’s lasting impact in the lives of my children.

They each see the world as something we need to care for, inspired by a sense of social and environmental justice.”

Nikki Vangsnes, CFS trustee

F

rom the start, Carolina Friends School has been imbued with a strong

sense of mission. Founded by a group of visionary educators as one of the first intentionally integrated schools in the South, we have always recognized the place of our campus community in the wider world and embraced the goal of making that world a better one.

CFS believes in education for action—from Early Schoolers making an iBook about Durham and presenting it to the mayor, to older students designing award-winning solar-charged cars and achieving success in the state engineering society’s Future City Competition. In a series of Advocacy electives, Upper School students come to terms with complex contemporary issues, mastering the facts on climate change or drone strikes, building consensus, and then taking a stand. Some register voters or lobby state legislators. Some travel to Washington, D.C. to present their platform to federal officials. It’s a profoundly empowering exercise in critical thinking and effective communication.

At Friends, our aims are ambitious: to prepare our students to find success in higher learning, to lead lives of fulfillment, and to put their talents to work for the benefit of others.

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“ what happens when friends students meet their u.s. senators to discuss an issue like the authorization for the use of force? the students discover that policies are formed through conversations with real people and that they can have a voice. at the same time, the senators discover that our students are impressively skilled in making their case.�

Randall Williams, Upper School teacher

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in nature “At Carolina Friends, children inhabit and explore the natural world,

whether they are experiencing science in the woods, walking the nature trail,

writing poetry on the upper field, or tending salad greens in our garden.”

Libby Pittman Pendergrast, Head of Campus Early School

T

he experiences of learning and daily life at Friends School are

inseparable from the remarkable setting in which they take place: 126 acres of trees and fields bordering Duke Forest, crossed by a meandering stream and a mile-and-a-quarter nature trail. For our students and teachers, the woods serve as a laboratory, a playground, and a refuge—the starting point for our environmental curriculum and for putting the Quaker testimony of stewardship into practice.

Each day brings new adventures. Early Schoolers research the properties and uses of water. Lower Schoolers launch an investigation of crayfish.

Middle Schoolers sift sediment for fossils, building a picture of the undersea environment of coastal North Carolina 30 million years ago. Upper Schoolers choose from a range of environmentally focused electives, including Biology Research, pursuing studies focusing on the local woodland.

Immersion in nature inspires understanding and action—as exemplified by the Eco Chicos, a student-led environmental club in Middle School. “Our students are passionate activists,” says Mig Little Hayes, the group’s founding advisor. “From the age of three, they’ve learned about nature and about working for the greater good.”

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“ in the creek, we always find crayfish and sometimes arrowheads and salamanders. we identify rocks and minerals from the sediment. we collect insects, and each student chooses one and becomes the class expert on it. at recess, any child can get boots and a net and head for the creek, and some choose to do so every day.�

Michael Bonsignore, Lower School teacher

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in the territory of ideas “Like so many experiences at Carolina Friends, this class is about open inquiry.

We’re not expecting any one answer to the questions we ask, but we are expecting an insightful answer, closely reasoned and well defended.”

Jamie Hysjulien, Senior Seminar co-teacher

E

ach year, participants in Senior Seminar, a capstone course in

the humanities, embark on an intellectual adventure rare for students of high school age. Those who apply to and are selected for this challenging undergraduate-level course explore giants of Western thought through the lens of a particular theme—justice, globalization, historiography.

The class delves into works that range from Plato’s Republic to Heidegger’s Being and Time, moving at a pace that allows for patient study. “As a teacher at the college level, I found that many undergraduates did not know how to approach difficult texts,” says Jamie Hysjulien, one of the seminar’s teachers.

“We help our students build those skills through extensive practice in guided close reading.”

Senior Seminar is just one example of the intellectual rigor of a Friends education. Students can pursue subjects ranging from Spanish and French to physics and calculus, all through the advanced level. They can also explore individual interests in depth, for instance by doubling up with two math or science courses at a time, or taking on independent projects—making films or reading the works of Borges, designing research studies or creating jazz compositions.

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“ in our senior seminar, we explored the question ‘what is a just society?’ we drew inspiration from philosophers and built on their work to develop our own ideas. my final paper explored assumptions about language and how those assumptions can limit justice. it was not just an assignment, but something i wrote—and defended—because i believe it.” Eliza Harris ’14, Pomona College student

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in relationship

“At its best, no classroom community ever feels quite like another.

It’s a mutually negotiated community. Its traditions and ways of working

grow out of what the teacher brings and

what each unique group of children brings.”

Renee Prillaman, Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning

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earning is a personal experience. We learn in relationship with

others, and how well we learn has everything to do with the respect we are shown and the trust we feel.

At Carolina Friends, we dedicate great skill to creating a network of learning relationships for each student. The advisory program in the Middle and Upper Schools exemplifies this commitment. It places each child within a small, family-like advisee group with peers of different ages and a faculty member. This advisor provides guidance on academic issues, but is also an advocate and mentor—someone who knows the child’s strengths and weaknesses, who’s in touch with his or her parents and other teachers, who is always there to turn to.

From Early and Lower School forward, strong individual relationships interweave to create a close community. You sense its spirit in the energetic applause that greets a student taking to the stage before her classmates and teachers—and just as powerfully in the thoughtful silences shared in Meeting for Worship. As more than one member of this remarkable community has avowed, Friends is a school with a soul.

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“ we know, from research and from experience, that knowledge is not simply dropped into children’s heads—it’s created in relationship. for this reason, building relationships is at the core of our work. by knowing each of our students well, we can teach responsively, addressing individual strengths and needs.”

Lisa Wilson Carboni, Head of Lower School

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global and experiential

“Many schools offer travel and experiential learning, but Friends is special. We provide these opportunities to all our students.

We focus on substantive fieldwork, not just tourism.

And we connect that work explicitly with our curriculum.”

Tom Anderson, Head of Upper School

W

hether it’s Early Schoolers experiencing aircraft up close at

a nearby airport, Lower School students visiting a water treatment plant, or Middle Schoolers engaging in community service mini-sessions at local social agencies, Carolina Friends students of all ages venture beyond the boundaries of campus to explore the wider world, often incorporating service into their work.

These learning adventures take their fullest form in the Upper School Endof-Year Experience—among the most distinctive dimensions of a Carolina Friends education. Typically spanning two weeks, these experiences range from scientific exploration in the Galpágos to hiking in the deserts of the American West, to travels in Nicaragua or the Adirondacks for a mix of research, service, and adventure. Closer to home, students complete internships, for instance, shadowing an architect, assisting in a university lab, or working with the EPA. Freshman year, students all work with the Episcopal Farmworkers Ministry in Newton Grove, North Carolina. In subsequent years, their destinations reflect their personal interests. Many students find their long-term goals shaped by what they see and do. All encounter a rare chance to grow in confidence, self-understanding, and awareness of others.

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“ my end-of-year experiences with farm workers in newton grove and with habitat for humanity in trinidad left a lasting imprint in my life. they inspired me to travel and volunteer in mexico, guatemala, and ecuador. they sparked a commitment to contribute to the greater good that has stayed with me and always will.”

Tristan Green ’09, University of North Carolina graduate

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a sense of high, hopeful expectation “A Friends education focuses on developing students’ passions, interests, and

potential in all realms. We want our students to understand that they are

capable of far more than they may have ever realized and that

with diligence and care they can make a positive impact on

their world at every age.”

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Karen Cumberbatch, Head of School

ife at Carolina Friends is about pursuing all that’s possible. This

applies to the work of our educators and to the outlook we hope to nurture among our students from their earliest years. Our goal is to equip and incline our young people to develop all their many gifts to the fullest and to put those gifts to use.

High expectations shape the nature of daily interaction throughout the School, from our challenging curriculum, to the handling of disciplinary issues, to evaluation of academic performance. Rather than simply receiving grades, families receive detailed narrative evaluations and meet to discuss progress. Students who need extra support can receive tutoring or coaching through the Student Success Program. Students are motivated not by a carrot or a stick but by meaningful educational goals and individual feedback.

Friends’ positive ethos yields impressive results. In class, students pose questions and share insights that reflect confident, sophisticated thinking. On the stage and in the studio, they create work of inspiring accomplishment.

On the playing field, they prove that this small school can bring home big wins. Everywhere at Friends, people aspire to set high standards and work hard to meet them.

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“ quakers speak of nurturing the light within, and i can’t think of a more powerful philosophy of education— to help each child recognize and bring to the world his or her greatest gifts.”

Anna Jaffe ’08, Bryn Mawr College graduate and University of Rochester medical student

early school / ages 3-6

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•c urriculum / Ours is an emergent, projectbased curriculum through which children construct their understanding of the world by experimenting, playing, questioning, discussing, and wondering. Individually and in groups, through themes or in-depth projects, they explore, make choices, and encounter diverse and wondrous worlds. They care for their school and the larger community through service work, and delight in nature through outdoor play and trips afield.

•c lass groupings / Classes bring together students in age-specific and family-like mixed-age groups that enhance learning and growth. The student-teacher ratio is approximately 4:1, with additional help from CFS Upper Schoolers and university undergraduates.

•l ocation / CFS has three Early Schools: one on Main Campus, one in Chapel Hill (at Chapel Hill Friends Meeting, near UNC), and one in Durham (at Durham Friends Meeting, on Duke’s Central Campus).

• schedule / Half-day, full-day, and extendedday options are available during our school calendar year.

In the Early Schools, children learn through creating deep and lasting relationships with the world around them, with their spiritual selves at the core. They build social awareness, an understanding of inclusivity and conflict resolution, and the resiliency so essential to healthy development. Our inquiry-based curriculum supports learning that is intellectually vigorous as well as full of joy. Together, students, teachers, and families collaborate to set the stage for children to become seekers of knowledge all their lives.

lower school / ages 6-10 Through a rich and varied experience in and beyond the classroom, the CFS Lower School nurtures children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth. The curriculum draws on the developmental theories of Jean Piaget, Vygotsky’s understanding of the social construction of knowledge, and Howard Gardner’s insights on multiple intelligences. Learning is also shaped by the individual interests of our students and teachers. The result: a meaningful and dynamic enterprise. As they experiment and explore, answering questions of real relevance, children develop skills of inquiry and reasoning, design thinking, problem solving, and communication that serve them well for years to come.

• reading, writing, and mathematics / Small groups of approximately ten students and one teacher work intensively to build a strong foundation in the skills of verbal and quantitative literacy key to future learning.

•d epth, breadth, and richness / The curriculum spans and often integrates substantive experiences within science, social studies, Spanish, technology, physical education, creative movement, art, and music.

• project-based learning / Independent and group projects stand out among the primary elements of the Lower School curriculum as students apply the skills and ideas they acquire and become practiced investigators.

• individual focus / Teachers take care in shaping instructional approaches to recognize each child’s strengths and needs, offering added enrichment, challenge, or support as appropriate.

•c lass groupings / Lower School currently consists of four classrooms: River and Sky Classes (six- to eight-year-olds), and Mountain and Forest Classes (eight- to ten-year-olds).

•a fter-school program / An optional program provides adult-supervised activities until as late as 5:45 p.m.

middle school / ages 10-14

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• curriculum / Required courses include Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Conflict Resolution, Spanish, Art, and Physical Education. Some 40 electives offered each trimester include such options as Debate, Writing to Publish, Robotics, Stop Motion Animation, Aerial Dance, Future Cities, Girl Rising, and The Physics of Flight.

•a dvising / Central to Middle School life, advisee groups include an advisor and nine to 11 students of mixed ages and genders and are designed to function as a family group.

Community service, class registration, goal setting, group building, and communication with parents are critical elements of the advising experience.

• exploratorium / For each of the last three weeks of the year, every student delves full-time into a special learning activity. Topics range from moviemaking, hands-on electronics, and geocaching to local entrepreneurs, a civil rights bus tour, and hiking in the Smoky Mountains.

• after school / Middle School students can participate in interscholastic sports. An optional after-school program provides adult-supervised activities until as late as 5:45 p.m.

CFS Middle School students grow academically and personally through a process of active exploration and problem solving, taking on increasing responsibility for themselves and their learning. With help from parents, advisors, and teachers who know them well, students practice sound decision making as they choose from an extensive array of courses, sports, and service activities. The experience offers a careful balance of required and elective classes based on recommended best practices for middle-level education. Approaches include project-based work, small-group work, writing across curricular areas, simulations, arts integration, and seminar discussions.

upper school / ages 14-18 The Upper School provides motivated and talented students with a rare combination of opportunities. They take on the challenge of substantial college preparatory coursework, culminating with advanced offerings, including collegelevel classes. They connect their learning with the world beyond campus through remarkable end-of-year experiences and service opportunities, described by many as life-changing. They pursue individual passions in depth—whether academic, athletic, artistic, or all of the above. And they do so within the context of a strong community, with dedicated teachers, under the guidance of a caring faculty advisor, and in the company of close friends. Students leave CFS prepared for success in college—and much more.

•c ourse offerings / Courses range from the expected—American Literature, Chemistry, French, and Calculus—to more distinctive choices: Astronomy, Contemporary Dance, MakerLab: 3-D Design & Fabrication, and Understanding War. •c alendar highlights / Special events include an overnight Senior Retreat and All-School Retreat, an all-school trip to Washington, D.C., and one-day symposia focused on topics that have ranged from comparative religions to environmental issues.

•e nd-of-year experiences / Each year, all Upper Schoolers take part in two-week facultysupervised experiences on or near campus, across the state, or around the world. Examples range from research internships to service work in Appalachia or Latin America, to exploration of the Desert Southwest or cultural travel in France.

Kelsh Wilson Design kelshwilson.com

• athletics / A competitive and inclusive interscholastic sports program includes baseball, basketball, cross-country, soccer, tennis, swimming, Ultimate Frisbee, and volleyball.

• college placement / CFS provides an exceptional preparation for success in higher education as well as highly individualized support in the college admission process. In addition to being represented at UNC, Duke, and other North Carolina schools, CFS graduates attend a broad array of institutions, from research universities to small liberal arts colleges. For the full list, see www.cfsnc.org.

Carolina Friends School / 4809 Friends School Road / Durham, NC 27705 Durham Early School / 404 Alexander Avenue / Durham, NC 27705 Chapel Hill Early School / 531 Raleigh Road / Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Visit us at www.cfsnc.org 919.383.6602