Beyond Stewardship by Friends Council on Education

CHRONICLES OF

Quaker Education

Winter/Spring 2016

Beyond Stewardship Sustainability as the new frontier for social change The recent 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris was a significant moment in time for the future of our planet and the management of the world’s resources. This event inspires us to think about where Friends schools are with regard to their own environmental sustainability efforts. Chronicles talked with several educators who have been active in sustainability efforts in Friends schools over the past ten to fifteen years and asked them —

Where have we been? Where are we now? Where might we go next? Geoffrey Selling, retired science teacher at Germantown Friends School, is one of the founding members of the Friends Environmental Educators Network or FEEN, the largest and most active of the Friends Council peer networks. Geoffrey along with other educators from Sidwell Friends School, Sandy Spring Friends School, Greene Street Friends School, and Friends’ Central School have sustained FEEN since 1999, bringing together Friends school educators passionate about environmental education and sustainability practices. Geoffrey recalls that FEEN’s early focus was on organizing dynamic conferences where Friends school educators could learn from each other and share ways to enhance green practices in schools. However, some educators found that they returned to their schools only to receive minimal institutional support for their calls to action. So FEEN took a more strategic tack. In 2003 the group crafted a mission statement that drew a clear connection between environmental education and fundamental Quaker beliefs and testimonies, including peace, justice, and stewardship. “Our premise was that environmental education is not just a good thing to do, but it is incumbent upon Quaker schools to lead in this area because it is a social justice issue,” says Geoffrey. “We wanted to make it clear that environmental education is not optional, but is at the heart and soul of the mission of Quaker schools.” Judy Asselin agrees. “Friends have been historically strong on human justice; sustainability and how we manage our resources is the big human justice question,” says Judy, former Sustainability Director at Westtown School and active FEEN member. “When we throw away food, waste electricity, or do not recycle just because we can afford to, this is an example of white privilege. The folks who contribute the least to global warming are the ones who suffer the most from its consequences.” “It is part of the integrity testimony. Everything we do is an expression of our belief in the wholeness and beauty of creation and of each other,” she continues. “Sustainability is central to Friends school missions. We are in the century of resource management. It is so global and interconnected now that we must figure it out, and make it part of the educational output that we want kids to take away from Friends schools.”

Westtown School students at the 2014 People’s Climate March in New York City, where 400,000 people marched for climate change in advance of the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.

Today, FEEN is still running strong and working hard to promote the integration of environmental education and sustainability efforts into Friends school curricula. In May 2013, at FEEN’s annual peer network gathering, 29 teachers from 12 Friends schools crafted a minute to Friends school boards and heads of school, proposing that all Friends schools develop a sustainability mission statement, join the Green School Alliance, integrate sustainable food systems themes into the curriculum through gardening programs or organic purchasing programs, and embed Quaker testimonies of simplicity and stewardship into the curriculum wherever possible. In September 2015 a Friends School Sustainability Survey was conducted by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting’s Eco-Justice Working Group, which includes Paula Kline (Westtown School) and other members of FEEN. This survey provides a snapshot of where Friends schools stand today in terms of sustainability and clean energy policies, actions, and experiences. Many schools are making headway in sustainability, while others are still seeking the best way forward. The full survey summary with recommendations and the 2013 FEEN Minute are available at www.friendscouncil. org>Resources>Stewardship. This past October a gathering of school stakeholders convened at Delaware Valley Friends School (DVFS) for the “Sustainability Starts with Us Now” conference. Organized by Paula Kline and co-hosted by Friends Council, Pennsylvania Association of Independent School Business Officers Association (PAISBOA), the PYM Eco-Justice Working Group, PA Green and Healthy Schools Partnership, and DVFS, the workshop focused on exploring the importance of benchmarking, energy efficiency, and transitioning to renewable energy. “Many of our schools are poised to assume a leadership role in the transition to renewable energy,” Paula says. “Beyond our large rooftops and big parking lots which are suitable for solar installations, we can serve as examples for efficiency and energy conservation in our communities.” continues on page 2

The Friends Environmental Educators Network (FEEN) has been a moving force for sustainability in Friends schools for over 15 years. Shown here is the 2015 FEEN peer network gathering at Germantown Friends School.

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Beyond Stewardship

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What should the environmental sustainability focus be for Friends schools over the next five years? Many schools are making headway with sustainability and FEEN encourages schools to learn from each other. (See “Sustainability roadmap” on page 3.) “To effect school-wide change, sustainability needs to be a shared commitment and not shouldered by one or two people — just as we don’t expect our school’s diversity vision to come from one person,” Judy says. “The sustainability vision for the school needs to come top-down from the head of school, key administrators, and department heads as well as from the bottom-up with students, parents, and individual staff members encouraged to initiate and lead.” A thorough approach will lead schools to examine the following: ● Where the school sources its energy, with the goal to purchase or produce renewable energy, and conserve energy to reduce waste. ● Where the school sources its food, with the goal to buy food locally and/or grow some on campus. ● The school’s waste stream and an effort to increase recycling and composting, ●A commitment to LEED or, better yet, net-zero energy building construction and renovation.

These efforts should be tied to existing curricular initiatives where they will gain momentum and provide “real world” problem-solving opportunities: STEM, critical thinking, understanding systems, project-based learning, and service learning. “Quakers for centuries have nurtured in children a deep moral commitment to doing the right thing in personal and public life, which simultaneously promotes a deep thirst for knowledge. Friends schools do this extraordinarily well,” Judy says. “Quakers have always walked on the front lines of social change and progress. Sustainability is the new frontier, and is inextricably linked to the other five testimonies.” “To embed sustainability thinking and practices into every aspect of school life with the same moral weight we ascribe to other Quaker values will have profound educational and societal pay-offs,” Judy adds. “Our students will be primed to face the world’s challenges with hope and know-how, and with the moral certitude that they can, and should, make a difference. They will be the innovators we need.”

“ We have . . . come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Outdoor classroom connects students to the natural world At Friends School of Wilmington (Wilmington, NC), teacher Karen Linehan is one of several educators leading the environmental charge. Linehan, a first- and second-grade teacher, recently received the Trailblazing Teacher Award from the Center for Green Schools (CGS) for her commitment to advocating eco-literacy and bringing sustainability into the classroom. CGS is part of the U.S. Green Building Council and is working to put every student in a green school in this generation. “Karen inspires her students every day with methods and content that are grounded in Friends’ values,” says head of school Brenda Esch. “We are thrilled that her talents have been recognized by the Center for Green Schools.” Linehan and her colleagues built an outdoor classroom to integrate the natural world into their lessons. The classroom includes a butterfly and moth garden, and a bird garden. With her $250 Trailblazing Teacher Award, Linehan bought plants to help establish a new rain garden. The place-based curriculum exemplified by the outdoor classroom helps teach younger students about Wilmington and its ecosystem. Students in the upper grades gradually move to Friends School of Wilmington (NC) teacher Karen a broader, more global focus. Linehan in the outdoor classroom with students.

Preparing the next generation of environmental stewards Environmental education at Friends School of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN) helps prepare students to become citizens and stewards of the earth. An ongoing program at FSM for the past 20 years, it is a central thread woven throughout the fabric of the school’s K-8 experience: ● M embers of the school’s environmental education committee recently gave an informative and passionate presentation about the school’s environmental education program to FSM’s school committee (the school board). The presentation outlined the history of the program at FSM and the intrinsic connection between Quaker education and environmental education.

The way buildings can be Friends School of Portland (Cumberland, ME) is the first school in Maine, the first commercial project in the state, and the third school in the nation to achieve Passive House Certification — the highest voluntary energy efficiency standard in the world. The school’s new 15,500 square foot home, which they moved into last August, is a “net zero” building — they expect to produce as much energy from their solar panel array as they consume over the course of a year. Though the building was designed to be net ready, FSP would have had to raise additional funds for the solar panels. Friends at Ocean View at Falmouth, a nearby senior living facility, stepped in to help buy the panels. The school then entered into a solar power purchase agreement, which means that Ocean View owns, operates, and maintains the photovoltaic system, while Friends School of Portland houses the 144 solar panels on their roof. The school purchases the power generated by the system from Ocean View. In 2021, Ocean View will donate the panels to the school. The school is still on the electrical grid, and when the sun isn’t shining they access electricity from Central Maine Power (CMP). When the solar panels produce more power than they use, the school gets credits from CMP. An iPad mounted outside the school’s meeting room displays the amount of energy created each day, which serves as an interesting learning tool for students. The building has a variety of other earth-friendly features, such as motion-sensor lights and low-flush toilets. “This school building manifests our collective vision, not only of the way a school can be, but of the way buildings can be,” says Mary Tracy, founding teacher of FSP. “It invites us to enjoy angles of light and a wavy wood ceiling and splashes of bright color, to learn that being frugal with resources does not have to be drab.”

● E nvironmental education committee members also met with teachers from a neighboring independent school who were interested in learning more about how to begin an environmental education program at their school. ● This past fall, two middle school teachers started a new environmental education club to provide a time and place for students interested in helping the environment to mobilize and take action by working together on projects throughout the school year.

Friends School of Minnesota 7th and 8th grade students during their annual week at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center on the North Shore of Lake Superior.

The school also recently received an endowed gift of $25,000 from an anonymous donor for its environmental education program. This gift will help ensure that the program remains strong — that every student is able to attend an overnight trip in the wilderness, and that they can maintain their composting and recycling efforts, among other ongoing efforts. “We are so fortunate to have a faculty and school community who are committed to issues of sustainability, appreciation for our environment, and the importance of connecting the natural world to our students’ learning,” says Latrisha Chattin, head of school.

Turning scraps into rich soil

has become a familiar sight at Friends School of Mullica Hill (Mullica Hill, NJ): Every day after lunch, students collect food waste for the compost bin, preventing a lot of unnecessary waste from entering the landfill. This studentdriven initiative creates rich soil for use in the school’s raised bed garden and helps students learn about sustainability and responsible agriculture.

Sustainability roadmap — next steps for Friends schools Here are some recommendations, drawn from the 2015 Friends Schools Sustainability Survey, to help your school move forward with its sustainability efforts: ● Create a sustainability mission statement. ● Establish a staff position or designate a staff member at the highest level to lead sustainability initiatives and clerk a sustainability committee. ● Establish a baseline of current energy use and set benchmarks for improvement.

Chad Cianfrani with Oakwood Friends School’s new solar installation.

Solar array provides power, educational opportunities By Chad Cianfrani, Head of School, Oakwood Friends School (Poughkeepsie, NY)

It is a good time to be a photon visiting the Oakwood campus! Since relocating to our Poughkeepsie home in 1920, the preservation of open space and stewardship of the environment have been important aspects of our school mission. Surrounded by over fifty acres of green space and fresh air, one can sometimes forget the campus is home to twenty-two buildings, four student dorms, a dining hall, library, gym, theater, music and photo labs, ceramics studios, dance studios, and multiple family residences. At any given time over 200 people call Oakwood home, drawing on resources to keep us warm, fed, connected and illuminated (both spiritually and electrically). Thanks to the focused effort and long-range vision of the Board of Managers we are excited to see the Oakwood solar array take shape. Sized to offset 100 percent of our annual electrical consumption, this array is designed to generate just under 700,000 kW/year. Despite its size at first glance, the physical footprint disturbed by posts and structures is less than a tenth of an acre. This is an important fact in that the grasses and ground cover continuously prevent erosion and provide habitat for small flora and fauna. As part of a multi-year focus on sustainability and stewardship in action, this project does more than provide clean, renewable energy. The Oakwood array provides a focal point for countless educational opportunities within our Middle School, Upper School, and local community. A secured and gated entrance to the array will serve as a backdrop for outdoor classroom space and neighborhood outreach programs. Plans are in the works to provide a web-based interface in which the entire community can log in and monitor electrical generation in real-time. As of this writing, Oakwood Friends School has a great deal for which to be thankful. Guided by a light from within and now powered by a light from above, our community looks forward to an exciting 2016.

● C onsider joining the Green Schools Alliance or signing the Presidents Climate Commitment. ● C onsider partnering with other schools to collaborate on renewable energy installations through a Power Purchase Agreement or Community Power Purchase Agreement. ● C onserve energy wherever possible and invest in energy efficient equipment. ● Generate renewable energy on campus. ● Integrate sustainability efforts into the curriculum. ● I n addition to focusing on energy, continue efforts in other areas as well — recycling, local food sourcing, composting. ● Consider broad-range funding to support the above. ● U se your sustainability efforts to bolster every aspect of communications with alumni and prospective families.

From the Mountains to the Sea Institute for Engaging Leadership graduate Cameron Francisco, Director of Academic and Student Life, Friends School of Wilmington (Wilmington NC), has created a program to connect Quaker schools in North Carolina through collaborative inquiry and combined camping trips with an environmental education focus. Read about Cameron’s action research project on our website: www.friendscouncil. org>Programs>Leadership Institute>Action Research.

Scholarship program helps sustain Quaker schools This year, sixth grader Dianne Niyera, a Quaker from Burundi living in Atlanta, Georgia, joined the student body at Friends School of Atlanta (GA). Described by her teachers as soft-spoken, hardworking, and having a magnetic personality, she loves math and is also interested in conservation. She can often be found participating in the school’s environmental club that runs the recycling program. Dianne’s presence at Friends School of Atlanta is made possible in part thanks to initial pilot funding of the new National Endowment for Quaker Children (NEQC) scholarships being offered by Friends Council on Education. NEQC is designed as a partner program with the Friends Dianne Niyera Education Fund (FEF), which has supported Quaker children at Friends schools within the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting area for 40 years. As a Quaker new to a Friends school in a designated region of the country, Dianne qualified for the NEQC scholarship in this first year of the program. NEQC tips the financial scale for Quaker families for whom a Friends school education might otherwise be financially out of reach. “Her family’s hope that she gain access to a Quaker education could not have been realized without the support from NEQC,” says head of school Waman French. NEQC complements other FCE strategies for enhancing the Quaker character of Friends schools. By increasing the presence of Quaker families and students at Friends schools, NEQC extends the reach of the Religious Society of Friends. These Quaker students and families can witness Quaker values and best practices in a direct and personable way. At Friends School of Atlanta, that certainly seems to be the case. “Dianne has a very quiet, (F)friendly presence and her modeling of the Quaker testimonies has imprinted upon her friends and teachers, gaining her wide respect from our community,” says Waman. “She is a wonderful addition to our school!” “By making it possible for more Quaker children to attend Friends schools, NEQC is playing an important role in strengthening the character of those schools,” says Juan Jewell, board member of Friends School of Atlanta and Friends Council on Education. “Quaker schools have a long history of producing graduates who believe that they can and should work to make the world a better place for all.” For information about the National Endowment for Quaker Children, please contact Drew Smith (drew@friendscouncil.org) or Betsy Torg (betsy@friendscouncil.org) or call Friends Council at 215-241-7245.

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Friends Council on Education

Drew Smith Executive Director

Recently, a group of scientists posted a comment in the journal Nature (Perspective, February 8, 2016) in which they argued that we would all be wise to place the current changes to our climate in a more appropriate, geologic perspective. In other words, the changes we are causing to the environment will not just impact our grandchildren’s children, but also their children . . . for hundreds of generations. We at Friends Council on Education regularly promote best governance practices for schools that account for a longer view beyond their school communities of today; however, Friends Council has not defined those practices 10,000 years into the future. Daunting is one word that immediately comes to mind. This message from scientists certainly adds to the urgency of now, but it does not necessarily give us a focused starting point for choosing our path forward to heal our planet. Ten thousand years is a time frame for which our institutions and their procedures as currently constituted are not equipped to manage. There have been about 15 generations of us since the publication of William Penn’s Some Fruits of Solitude. Penn’s vision for our schools has served as the moral and practical foundation for each one of them. All 81 schools have indeed been witness to “what love can do.” I did not know that Penn specifically referenced “nature” in his many public words on his Holy Experiment in Pennsylvania. Now that I know he had the Earth in mind, in addition to leadership in an ideal, pluralistic society, I believe that all of us in Friends education know what we must do. Ten thousand years is too many; but one year is not. Developing the habits of mindful stewardship in 1 million individuals is too many, but developing those habits of mind in 20,000 students is not. Developing leadership for 100 generations is too much, but developing leadership in 15 generations is not. Indeed, 15 generations of leadership is in the DNA of Quaker schools. We already know what to do. As the Executive Director of Friends Council on Education, I cannot report that we now know what 10,000 years of good governance looks or feels like in our schools. But we do know what is elemental in human life and work — love. It is both “plain” and “reasonable,” or to put a familiar name to it — it is simple. Let us follow the lead of the Friends school educators and schools portrayed in this issue. Let us grow what we need, use what we need, develop what we need — but no more than that. Let us evolve to a point where, in each school, sustainable thinking and practices are a given, a moral imperative, as opposed to an option or a choice. Let us be leaders in a world that practices the care and stewardship of the Earth, not only to save ourselves as humans, but to walk cheerfully over the Earth answering to the needs of one another. Let us begin to sow the seeds of the rightly ordered and let us begin now, today, with our 15th generation.

William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude, 1693

It were Happy if we studied Nature more in natural Things; and acted according to Nature; whose rules are few, plain and most reasonable.

Workshops

Resources about stewardship from the Friends Council on Education Educators New to Quakerism, Pendle Hill: FULL for 2015 – 2016 Registration for three 2016 – 2017 sessions will open August 2016.

The Friends Council website is a wealth of information, including programs, job listings, and resources, with a special section on stewardship. Please visit us at

Heads Gatherings

www.friendscouncil.org > Resources > Stewardship.

Secondary Heads Gathering, April 28 – 29, 2016, Friends Center Elementary Heads Gathering, May 1 – 3, 2016, Chestnut Hill Friends Meetinghouse, Philadelphia, PA Heads of Small Friends Schools (hosted by Heads in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting region), March 28, 2016 at Friends School Haverford

Leaders of Mindful Stewardship

www.friendscouncil.org > Resources > Grants to schools > Grants gallery. Development, Admissions, & Public Relations May 2, 2016, Friends Center Early Childhood Educators, April 18 – 19, 2016, Moorestown Friends School Friends Environmental Educators Network (FEEN), April 7 – 8, 2016, Carolina Friends School

WPC17, April 14 – 17, 2016 — Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Friends Council is part of a collaborative host team of regional organizations for the White Privilege Conference.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Philadelphia, PA Permit No. 248 1507 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 215.241.7245 | info@friendscouncil.org | www.friendscouncil.org

Reflections

Peer Network Events

Interested in what other Friends schools are doing to promote environmental sustainability and stewardship? Visit the Friends Council “Grants Gallery” for photos and descriptions of projects in which schools are living out the testimony of Stewardship. Visit us at

And go to www.Friendscouncil.net, our forum for informational discourse among Friends schools. Join the Friends Environmental Educators Network (FEEN) group to share ideas and resources for environmental education in Friends schools. Join the conversation!

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Quaker Education CHRONICLES OF

Beyond Stewardship

Winter/Spring 2016