From the Head of School

Dear Friends,

It is with great joy that I welcome you not only to this edition of Among Friends, but to the 2022-23 school year at MFS. After two unusual years of pandemic schooling, we have ushered in this year with joy and optimism. Our students, faculty, staff, and families have brought a renewed energy and commitment to reconnecting with the MFS community and to the traditions we love. As we return to in-person Back to School Nights, plays, sporting events, Spirit Week, and Grandparents and Special Friends Day this Fall, I find that we are all returning to a fuller sense of ourselves - full of hope for what lies ahead.

I am proud to introduce you - through these pages - to the new MFS Strategic Plan: A Compass for Our Future. Strategic plans have historically been maps for institutions to chart their futures. As much as maps can be helpful, they typically presume the most direct way to a destination and aren’t able to predict roadblocks, detours, or alternative destinations of value. As a school navigating uncertain times, a compass helps us establish a clear direction, while leaving space for us to chart our own path in response to a dynamic and changing world. As a Quaker institution, our mission and values also serve as a compass to ground us in our work and guide us forward. As we prepare students to lead lives of courage and consequence, our Strategic Plan and our Quaker foundation will provide important direction for the school’s future.

The Strategic Plan consists of four main priorities: Inclusive Community, Environmental Stewardship, Global Engagement, and Teaching & Learning. I invite you to learn more in this issue about the initiatives that are underway and upcoming, as well as examples of how we are living out these priorities in our school today. Each of these strategic areas of growth prompts us to consider who we are as members of diverse communities, and how we can engage students with real-world issues, both in and out of the classroom, so that they see themselves as agents of change. Building on our school’s history of excellence, our Strategic Plan will ensure that our students are equipped with the content, skills, and dispositions needed to navigate their futures with intelligence, strength, and compassion.

Enclosed is also the 2021-22 Annual Report of Donors. I want to extend sincere thanks to those of you who financially supported the school this past year. Your generosity continues to allow our students to let their lives speak in a range of wonderful ways. In this issue, you will read stories of how members of the Class of 2022 immersed themselves in Senior Projects that spoke to their passions and allowed them to explore future possibilities. We hope you enjoy.

Thank you, as always, for your support of Moorestown Friends School.

Warmly,

Julia de la Torre Head of School