among friends a biannual publication for the san francisco friends school community
summer 2022
bringing back in-person year-end celebrations farewell to great friends: mike, jennifer, & clarke
“where youth feel cared for, challenged, and connected”: the story of horizons friends forever: five questions for the alumni behind meyer lemon crafts the quaker glossary is back!
“I’m asking the question today in this form: Now what? What each of us can do in response to that question varies considerably, of course, and eflect r showurcicu r mstancesareadvantagedanddisadvantaged.Thateachofusandall ofuscantakeespo onr nsibilitysaprivlegeweshare.Infact,itsoneofourvalues,our SPICES, at Friends, where community means both opportunity and responsibility, where doingwhatwecantocontributetoaemor justandcaringsocietyisourmission.That mission calls each of us to consider… what to do today and to be ready for—to be ready tohelpshape—awholenewchapter.” – Mike Hanas, Head of School, in a letter to the SFFS community earlier this year
among friends: summer 2022
in this issue... FOREVER FRIENDS
dear friends: a farewell from our head of school
page 2
connections: what are you most looking forward to this summer?
page 4
celebrating our return
page 6
farewell to great friends: mike, jennifer, & clarke page 8 “where youth feel cared for, challenged, and connected”: the story of horizons
page 12
friends forever: five questions for the alums behind meyer lemon crafts
page 15
quaker glossary
page 17
class notes page 18 photo album page 20
page 1
dear friends a letter from our head of school
in attendance feel (translation: a combination of tears and smiles.)
“SwimngtoheOtherSide” We are living ‘neath the great big dipper We are washed by the very same rain We are swimming in this stream together Some in power and some in pain We can worship this ground we walk on Cherishing the beings that we live beside Loving spirits will live forever We’re all swimming to the other side (Pat Humphries)
I shared (sang?!) the chorus of “Swimming to the Other Side”— the lyrics of which I’ve included above—recently with my 3rd Grade neighbors as part of their “You Should Listen To This” project near the end of May, when Lower School Music Teacher Jane Rinard invited her students and colleagues to share a favorite song, to reflect on the role music plays in their (our) lives, and to explain what makes the shared song special. I’ve since received recommendaamong friends: summer 2022
tions (from reliable sources) of versions by Magpie and Emma’s Revolution—and the families and friends in attendance at the 2022 SFFS Graduation Choir serenaded our 8th-Graders in a heartfelt rendition on June 8. But I first heard “Swimming to the Other Side” at Carolina Friends School. It became part of a closing ritual for Lower-Schoolers who loved to sing it because of the way it made them feel—and because they liked the way it made their family members
Music creates that kind of space for me. I described it to my 3rd Grade Friends as a “holding space,” a space in which I can hold feelings of sadness, joy, loneliness, togetherness, and everything in between. I listened to my children and their friends and countless students rehearse and perform the song, and before long I noticed I was singing with them. And feeling with them. Much like I am today. I feel some of the sadness that accompanies saying “Good-bye for now” as I prepare to leave a place where I have felt—where so many of you have made me feel—so much at home. I think about the sadness, even grieving, as both about loss and about remembering, sealing in my heart and memory as much as I can. I prepare to move on and into the next chapter of life with more to feel grateful for than I have words to convey. But nothing more than the spirit of togetherness—team— that I have experienced at SFFS with students, trustees, faculty and
The original SFFS COVID Response Team gathered for one last “meeting” (really, it was just a fun lunch) before Mike departs for North Carolina.
admin colleagues, members of the COVID Response Team, alums, guardians, parents, grandparents, and friends. Thank you for swimming with me—and for affording me the gift and privilege of swimming with you. Thinking SFFS,
Mike Hanas Head of School
ON MY BOOKSHELF: •
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
•
The World-Ending Fire: The Essential by Wendell Berry
•
Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman
•
Manifesto For A Moral Revolution: Practices To Build A Better World by Jacqueline Novogratz
•
The Culture Playbook: 60 Highly Effective Actions to Help Your Group Succeed by Daniel Coyle
•
The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World by Jamil Zaki (SFFS Parent)
•
The Lincoln Highway: A Novel bymorTowles
•
Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke
•
South To America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry
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connections In each issue of
, we pose a question to our community, :
among friends: summer 2022
page 5
celebrating our return Thisspring,wewerebackinpersonfor easu tr ed r Friendseventsandtraditions.
It’s hard to believe, but nearly twoand-a-half years ago, SFFS first sent students, faculty, and staff home for what we at first believed would be a two-week period of remote learning while the coronavirus began its first sweep through the Bay Area. All this time later, as we continue to weather surges, quarantines, and boosters, we were able to—thankfully—enjoy the entire 2021–2022 school year
at Valencia Street together. And for the first time in a long time, we were also able to bring back many of our year-end celebrations and traditions, which we hadn’t commemorated since 2019. Here’s a quick look back at what we shared this past June… __________
among friends: summer 2022 ing 2020
PORTFOLIOS AND PRESENTATIONS: On June 2, we welcomed parents and guardians back into the school for in-person looks at stunning student portfolios in Lower School and presentations in Middle School. These events give our Friends the opportunity to reflect on their work, discuss their growth, and—in Middle School—practice their public
“I don’t know what will come next, what choices you will make, to what challenges and opportunities you will feel called, but I know this: You will take San Francisco Friends School with you, within you... and whatever challenges you and we face next, the world we share will be a better place for the fact that you are part of the response team.” – Mike Hanas to the Class of 2022
speaking skills (which they’ve polished over the course of the school year) to a supportive, encouraging audience. It also gives families a special window into the classrooms of Friends and the experiences of a range of the students here, from academics to arts to community engagement. __________
Celebration at Lindley Meadow in Golden Gate Park, which is always hard to explain to those new to our community (How in the world does everyone arrive at the same time? How far do the kids walk?! We have Meeting for Worship outside??), but it remains the most feel-good way imaginable to start our summer break.
RETURN TO LINDLEY MEADOW:
And just as in past years, it all came together, with all of our classes finding their way to to the park by 2:00(ish); a huge contingent of families with blankets, sunhats, and
Perhaps the most beloved of our Friends traditions is the End-of-Year
pups; the Kindergarten/8th Grade bagpipe procession; and oh yes, the popsicles. __________ TOGETHER FOR GRADUATION: It all built up to the 8th Grade Graduation on June 8, in which our Class of 2022 graduated on the stage, in the gym, in front of their loved ones and a cheering faculty
Story continued on page 11...
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farewell to great friends: saying so long—not goodbye—to mike, jennifer, & clarke Mike, Jennifer, and Clarke each made indelible marks on our community during theirtimeatFriends.We’regratefultoeach of them, honored to have crossed paths, and excitedfortheirnextchapters.Thankyou,Friends, foreverything. For the last several months, we’ve said goodbye—at special lunches and dinners; at school-wide events and more intimate gatherings; through cards, notes, and specially dedicated t-shirts—to our three outgoing heads: Mike, Jennifer, and Clarke. Seeing these three off to their new adventures on the East Coast, Southern California, and across the Bay, respectively, has not been an easy task—not only because goodbyes can be difficult,
among friends: summer 2022
but also because it’s been hard to capture all that the work of these extraordinary Friends has devoted to our community. What we can say is this: we are forever grateful for you three. –––––––––– Mike Hanas, Head of School (2016–2022): Mike has lifted up the SFFS community for the past six years, a seemingly endless fountain of
ideas; creativity; dad jokes; and pure, positive energy. He has led us through a multi-year pandemic we could not have possibly fathomed just 2 1/2 years ago, inspiring us to continue on and be our best selves, even on the most challenging days. He’s pushed us to reflect on our strengths and where we hold room for improvement, as well as to up our baseball, presidential history, and speedwalking game (if you’ve ever gone on a walking meet-
ing with him, you know!)... The enthusiasm Mike brings to a room fills the space, buoys the group, and leaves one feeling that for SFFS, anything is truly possible. He also encourages us to find connection and light in one another, and to let our shared values propel us forward as a bonded community. Director of Community Engagement Guybe Slangen shares, “When I think of my time with Mike, I’m reminded of something Maya Angelou said: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Mike always made me feel heard, seen, and valued. Regardless of what was on his plate—and these last two years he had more than his fair share—he gave me his time, attention, care, guidance, support, and encouragement.” One thing we’ll be sure to keep with us in our roles as stewards and clerks at SFFS for years to come is a question that page 9
Mike used to close every meeting he led at Friends: Anything else for the good of the group? –––––––––– Jennifer Arnest, Lower School Head (2008–2022): Jennifer, who departs SFFS after 14 years as the founding Head of the Lower School, has imbued her unwavering spirit, commitment to fun, and complete love of our Friends community throughout her tenure at Valencia Street. Those who know Jennifer speak, without fail, of her devotion to championing her beloved faculty, fiercely advocating for and protecting childhood, encouraging a sense of wonder and whimsy, and meeting our students exactly where they are. among friends: summer 2022
Director of High School Transition and longtime colleague Kristen Daniel says that, “Jennifer’s office is a safe haven for students.” She remembers one instance in particular that has stuck with her through the years: “One day I was looking for her and her office appeared dark. I was about to walk away when I noticed a young student sitting quietly on her rug with some small, battery-powered votive candles lit around him. He was ‘having a bad day’ and needed a peaceful place to regroup. This was a far cry from being sent to the principal’s office in my day!” Scenes like this were common in Jennifer’s first floor office, though in addition to moments of calm and silence, there have been plenty of scenes of boisterousness
and joy. Jennifer encourages it all as part of the wondrous journey we call childhood, and it’s perhaps the most important lesson she’s shared with us. –––––––––– Clarke Weatherspoon, Middle School Head (2019–2022): Clarke has been a calm, soothing force at SFFS since his arrival as a trustee four years ago. He is masterful at moving through stressful situations with a cool, collected mindset that we all admire. Though much of Clarke’s tenure as Middle School Head was focused on COVID management, he made meaningful connections with the students in his care, as School Counselor Katherine Preston
“When I think of my time with Mike I’m reminded of what Maya Angelou shared: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel..’” – Guybe Slangen, Director of Community Engagement
points out: “If a kid gets sent to Clarke because they are disregulated or misbehaving in some egregious way, that kid is going to leave his office feeling better about everything, even if they were in big trouble when they walked in. And that is impressive...” He’s also thought of as the ultimate team player (for example, volunteering to sleep on the couch during the 6th Grade trip to Westminster Woods when it was discovered there were not enough bedrooms for the chaperones; and no matter that the group discovered
the day they were leaving that the couch was actually a sofa bed— Clarke took the news in stride, per the usual!)... We know he will bring that signature calm and care with him and his family in their next adventure in Pasadena! –––––––––– We will miss you, Friends, but we also know that just the right stewards—Pankti, Amabelle, and Lizzie—are coming in to continue your legacies and the work you cherished during your time at SFFS. Friends forever. •
Do you have an idea for a story about the SFFS community to be featured in a future issue of Among Friends? We’d love to hear about it! Please let us know by reaching out to akinney-moe@ sffriendsschool.org. Thank you!
CONTINUED FROM “CELEBRATING OUR RETURN” ON PAGE 7: –––––––––– section, for the first time in three years. The excitement and community that pulses through campus on graduation day was back, and it was awesome. Our graduates introduced one another with loving anecdotes and encouragement, and there was more than one standing ovation among the joyful group of family
and friends in attendance. Head of School Mike Hanas also arranged a special surprise for the 8th-Graders, leading their loved ones in a heartfelt rendition of “Swimming to the Other Side,” the legendary folk ballad from Pat Humphreys:
live beside, Loving spirits will live forever, We’re all swimming to the other side. •
We can worship the ground we walk on, Cherishing the beings that we page 11
“Where Youth Feel Cared For, Challenged, and Connected”: The Story of Horizons This fall we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of San Francisco Friends School—but there’s another major milestone to celebrate in 2022, as well: 10 years ago, the idea of bringing the Horizons Program to SFFS first came to be, and this community began to plan for a partnership that has lasted nearly a decade and seen tremendous growth and accomplishment, including the recent middle school graduation of the first class of Horizons @ SFFS students. It all began (perhaps unexpectedly) in Seattle, where longtime SFFS Director of Community Engagement, Guybe Slangen, was attending a conference entitled “Private Schools with a Public Purpose.” While there, he went to a session facilitated by Horizons National CEO Lorna Smith and Vice-President Jose Oromi, and he was inspired by what he learned, sensing a vital opportunity for Friends and our community.
among friends: summer 2022
Guybe returned to San Francisco energized to strengthen our school’s commitment to our neighborhood in the Mission, and he began to dream of a partnership with Horizons National that would put this commitment into action. Horizons was already an established national program with many thriving sites in cities ranging from Philadelphia to Atlanta. It aimed to help underserved students avoid falling behind during the summer months through engaging summer academic and enrichment opportunities. Guybe notes: “... Their model was replicable, with a proven track record; they had successfully started programs at a variety of independent schools along with colleges and universities up and down the East Coast and throughout the Midwest.” Though Friends was still a burgeoning young school, fostering community relationships was essential to its mission from the beginning; and while it would be a challenge to host Horizons as SFFS
itself was still strengthening its own foundations, the families and administration of SFFS were committed—and they knew they had a strong ally in Horizons National. “[They] helped guide and support us throughout the process, ensuring that we were well-positioned to launch our program,” says Guybe. Rallying behind Guybe’s dream of making San Francisco the next site of a Horizons program was Founding Head of School Cathy Hunter and numerous SFFS parents and trustees, who were compelled by the Horizons model that emphasized community and relationships—between students, teachers, neighbors, and families—at the center. “Having a program like [Horizons] on campus grew out of the desire to deepen the school’s engagement with the local community. Friends was really committed to this aspect of the school’s mission from day one, as evidenced by the creation of Guybe’s position
and the Board’s very active community engagement committee. So when Cathy brought up the idea of sharing the school’s facilities during the summer with the Horizons program, that really resonated with [us] and seemed like a perfect way to further the mission and the community- and service-oriented culture of the school,” says Sophie Ziegler, a founding SFFS parent and trustee who championed the Horizons program from the early days. “It goes way beyond providing simple academic instruction— [Horizons offers] arts enrichment, swimming instruction, opportunities to access the amazing cultural and natural treasures of the Bay Area, and year-round support for both students and their families.” Horizons @ SFFS Founding Executive Director Abby Rovner remembers that in the first year, while she had Horizons National to act as a
guidepost and the strong support of the SFFS community, she was largely building from the ground up—and that was part of the thrill. “We had to develop relationships with local schools, families, city agencies and community-based organizations, design and plan what the summer program would look like, build the board, hire staff, create new organizational and operational systems and policies, get the word out to the community and raise money from scratch to fund the program,” says Rovner. “It was a lot, but it was a really exciting time. Founding Head of School Cathy Hunter had a deep passion for and commitment to bringing Horizons to SFFS so I felt really supported by her—as well as by Guybe and the program’s founding families, funders, board members, partners, and supporters—while getting Horizons off the ground.”
As they grew the program, forged relationships with neighboring schools (Marshall Elementary, Mission Prep, and Caesar Chavez Elementary were among the first to send students to Horizons @ SFFS), hired summer teachers, and raised funds, the group at Valencia Street was continually guided and bolstered by the team at Horizons National, including Lorna and Jose. Lorna and Jose are quick to note that they’ve been deeply impressed with the way that the team of Horizons @ SFFS, led first by Abby before current ED Laura Medina Quintanar arrived in 2020, have fostered and grown the program through the years. “Under Abby and now Laura’s leadership, Horizons @ SFFS has been an ongoing source of innovative practice and thought partnership for the national Horizons network.” Specifically, they cite Horizons @ SFFS’s use of public contracts and a blended
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“Under Abby and now Laura’s leadership, Horizons @ SFFS has been an ongoing source of innovative practice and though partnership for the national Horizons network.” – Horizons National CEO Lorna Smith & Vice-President Jose Oromi
funding model, “cafécitos” (online community chats held during the pandemic), and “community-centric fundraising” as strong models for Horizons sites across the country. They also applaud Horizons @ SFFS’s groundbreaking advocacy on behalf of monolingual families or families whose first language is not English, underscoring the program’s focus on student equity and access. Lorna and Jose emphasize how generously Abby, Laura, and the Horizons @ SFFS Board have shared their discoveries and victories with the rest of the national Horizons network: “We so appreciate how forthcoming and ready to share their work Horizons @ SFFS is, for the benefit of others.” Today, Horizons @ SFFS serves 153 students from local public schools in grades K–8 for six weeks every summer, building on what students have learned throughout the school year and getting them ready for the fall. But Horizons extends beyond so much more than academic curriculum—the program creates and strengthens community; exposes kids to inspiring (and fun!) field trips to local gems like the Academy of Sciences and seasonal enrichment opportunities among friends: summer 2022
like swimming lessons; and provides year-round support to both students and their families. The students and faculty of Horizons breathe new life into 250 Valencia each June and July, and at SFFS, we are so grateful that this invaluable partnership continues to thrive. As for the future? Across the board, there are hopes of an ever-deepening partnership and ever-greater impact. “I hope that SFFS families will continue to feel connected to and enriched by this amazing program,” says Sophie. “To me it is such an important part of SFFS’s mission to engage with the community in an authentic and productive way. I also hope that [more] students will have the opportunity to volunteer with the program, as both of our sons did. It was both great fun and an invaluable learning experience for them!” The program also hopes to ramp up its year-round wrap-around supports, including parent academic support workshops, virtual 1:1 and small group tutoring, extracurricular resource fairs and subsidized enrichment opportunities, and mentorships with college students. Additionally, Horizons plans to
expand into the high school grades and to launch additional sites in the Bay Area in the years to come. And the need for programs like Horizons will not be going away anytime soon—if anything, the opportunities Horizons provides are needed now more than ever, as Abby points out: “There’s so much research showing that equitable access to high quality expanded learning programs, including summer learning opportunities, are critical for young people’s development and wellbeing. Particularly in the wake of the pandemic, programs like Horizons that combine academic, enrichment, and recreational opportunities are important because they address unfinished learning, build on students’ strengths and interests, and provide joyful out of school time environments where youth feel cared for, challenged, and connected.” • –––––––––– To learn more about Horizons @ SFFS, you can visit: www.horizonsatsffs.org You can also follow them on Instagram: @horizons_sffs
friends forever fiveest uq snoi fosffs r al—inmu and small business owners with an environmentally conscious mission— emma chongo & quin chaiken hamilton ‘19 For Quin and Emma, the pandemic provided an opportunity to start an exciting and sustainable collective with a close group of longtime friends (including fellow Class of 2019 members Micah Brown, n ika Peterson, and ila Peterson). These artisans give found materials new life and themselves a meaningful creative outlet with eir beautiful designs.
1) How did Meyer Lemon Crafts start? Who is involved and what does the business do? Meyer Lemon Crafts started in 2021, when I (Quin) taught myself to crochet, knit, and sew during the pandemic and fell in love with crafting. I started sharing my crafts on Instagram and with friends, and was encouraged by several people to sell them. In October, I reached out to my friends to see if anyone wanted to join me, and signed up for a booth at a market hosted by Sunset Mercantile with fellow SFFS alumni Micah Brown and Annika Peterson. We became a small craft collective and named ourselves Meyer Lemon Crafts.
Since then we have sold at three in-person markets, grown to eight members from different schools (including SFFS alumni Emma Chongo and Aila Peterson), and launched a website. From the very beginning we committed to using only second-hand, recycled, or scrap materials in an effort to be sustainable and save materials from going to waste. We love turning unwanted items into new and exciting products with a wide variety of crafts, including crochet, knitting, tie-dye, sewing, jewelry-making and book folding. Some of our most popular products are crochet sheep hats, knit strawberry beanies, and geode tie-dye T-shirts. –––––––––
2) What inspired you and your friends to launch Meyer Lemon Crafts? What’s the mission of the business? We are all very creative people and saw this as a great opportunity to turn our hobbies into something unique and exciting. We had so much fun at the very first market, connecting with people in the community and seeing people’s joyful reactions, and we wanted to keep doing it. Our vision is to generate joy, creativity, sustainable action, and camaraderie through crafts, and we’re doing that by creating a collective of artists who create sustainably and support and inspire each other. The communi-
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Meyer Lemon Crafts sets up shop at open air markets around the Bay Area and online—you can check out their latest pieces at meyerlemoncrafts.square.site.
ty and the art are definitely more important than the sales. –––––––––– 3) What’s been your favorite part of starting this business? Meyer Lemon Crafts has brought me closer with my friends. It’s something that we all come together to create and I’ve met a lot of awesome people through it as we’ve grown. I also love seeing people’s smiles when they find something they love amongst our creations. –––––––––– 4) What are your hopes for the future of Meyer Lemon Crafts? My hope is that our crafts continue to impact people in meaningful ways. I hope that we can inspire other artists to find environmentally-friendly ways to craft, and show people how fun sustainable fashion can be. I would love to do some
among friends: summer 2022
more in-person markets this year, and potentially expand to include more members and types of crafts. Meyer Lemon Crafts will continue to change as its members graduate high school and spread apart, but I don’t ever plan to stop creating. I see this as something I will continue for a long time, wherever I am and in whatever form it may take. –––––––––– 5) What did you learn or experience as a student at SFFS that may have influenced you in launching and running your business? The very name of our collective comes from our time at SFFS. In middle school, my friends and I would spend Wednesday lunches in the library with Suzanne, sharing art, music, and snacks. Suzanne often brought little meyer lemon cups (miniature tarts) for us, so we called ourselves the Meyer
Lemon Cups. When we started this collective, we chose the name Meyer Lemon Crafts because in many ways it was a continuation of that group. I think it is a great testament to SFFS that we are all still friends and making things together. Our values of sustainability, collaboration, and community are also true to the SFFS spirit. • People can find/contact us here: meyerlemoncrafts.square.site / meyerlemoncrafts@gmail.com / instagram: @meyerlemoncrafts
Do you know an SFFS alum who you think we should profile in our “Friends Forever” column? Please let us know by reaching out to akinney-moe@ sffriendsschool.org. Thank you!
the quaker glossary wondering what your kids are talking about when they come home with quaker lingo? We’re here to help! by Kelley Still, with contributions from Guybe Slangen
At San Francisco Friends School, it’s our mission to empower each member of our community to have confidence in themselves (even when their thoughts and opinions fall outside of the majority) and also to find value and wisdom in the opinions and contributions of others. One of the ways we do this is by providing students, faculty and staff members with the tools, skills, and mindset they need to approach decision-making. A clerk can be defined as either a noun or a verb. In the noun form, a clerk is defined as a leader and facilitator of the meeting, seeking to maintain a safe climate where all voices are welcomed, heard, and valued. The role of the clerk is to find unity, enroll quiet members who may feel intimidated at the thought of speaking in front of a group, redirect more outspoken or vocal members who may be drowning out others, and overall to ensure mutual trust in the process is as important as the outcome itself. In the verb form, to clerk or
clerking, refers to someone who takes on the role of a facilitator and manages the process of reaching a decision, but does not act as a chair or decider. Although the clerk of the meeting serves as a facilitator who brings the Quaker decision-making process to life, everyone involved should consider themselves a clerk and should model the clerking mindset, reflecting on their own thoughts and actions in service to the group’s decision making process. [Important Note: students serve as clerks at SFFS, as well, starting in 4th Grade.] A clerking mindset entails: • Being prepared to change your mind. • Speaking up and sharing one’s opinion, even if your tendency is to watch from the sidelines. • Conversely, it is the responsibility of each participant to ensure that other, less vocal members of the group, feel safe enough to share their opinions as well.
•
Trust yourself, trust others, and trust the process.
The process of clerking at SFFS is both aspirational and practical in its application. We believe that ingraining these tools of openness and understanding help to ground a child’s experience. Translating these ideals when it comes to our youngest members of the community can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Regardless of their age or standing, our uniquely collective approach to the process allows our students to practice and test the skills of empathy, humility, and curiosity. And it is our hope, as a school grounded in and guided by Quaker values, that as our students move onto other schools and encounter the plethora of situations they will be faced with throughout their lives, they will bring with them the spirit of openness and kindness and engagement that we have nurtured here. •
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class notes
This page (left to right): Liam Thor ‘13 on the medal podium this past spring and Quin Chaiken-Hamilton ‘19 working on a new piece. Opposite page (clockwise from top): Urban— and SFFS Class of 2018—graduates Dora Newman, Nathan Rockman, Nick Miller, Felix Feldman, and Talia Harrison (missing Keanne Davis and Quin Ryan); SFFS alums Rylan Waterman ‘19 and Etienne Wilson ‘19 and Middle School faculty Annie Gwynne-Vaughan and Ester Azucena at the Young Alumni Reunion in May; Sofia Arnest at her recent high school graduation with her family; and Director of Admissions Yvette Bonaparte in her SFFS office.
class of 2013: Liam Thor ’13 had a great senior cycling season at Cal, winning key races and, in true Quaker fashion, inviting his entire team up to the podium to share the spotlight and applause. He will graduate this summer. Whit Urdan ’13, who attended UHS for high school, graduated from college last year, is living in Chicago, and is working as a management consultant.
–––––––––– class of 2015: Katie Urdan ’15 attended Lick-Wilmerding and recently among friends: summer 2022
returned from Amsterdam, where she had been studying during a semester abroad. She is majoring in Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology, at WashU, and was working on her minor in Anthropology while in Amsterdam. ––––––––––
class of 2018: Sofia Arnest ’18 is working for former SFFS Dance Instructor and International Museum of Dance Founder Hilary Palanza this summer, helping her prepare digital and social media communications for the Moving Southwest Festival that will be held in Santa Fe this summer. Specifically, Sofia created a Museum of Dance TikTok account
in an effort to reach a new audience. She graduated from HeadRoyce School in May and will be attending the University of Virgina in the fall. Nathan Rockman ’18 graduated from the Urban School of San Francisco on Friday, June 10, with seven fellow alumni from the Class of 2018! Urban was such a natural fit and wonderful experience for each of them after SFFS. In fact, Nathan and Nick Miller ’18 have been in school together since they started Kindergarten at Friends! Nathan is headed to the University of Oregon in the fall, and Nick will be attending Vassar College.
–––––––––– class of 2019: Emma Chongo ’19 and some fellow SFFS alumni have created a recycled goods and second-hand crafts business called Meyer Lemon Crafts. You can check out their
beautiful wares at meyerlemoncrafts.square.site and follow them on Instagram @meyerlemoncrafts (you can read more about Meyer Lemon Crafts on page 15). Quin Chaiken Hamilton ’19 shares “I graduated from SFFS in 2019, where most people knew me as Ocean. This spring I attended an art-based semester school called The Oxbow School, and I just graduated from The Academy of Thought and Industry with the class of 2022. Aside from art and school, I’ve been working on a business with a couple other SFFS friends (Micah, Annika, Aila, and Emma) selling items made using repurposed materials online and occasionally at markets around the Bay Area. I plan to spend the next year volunteering with farms, animal rescues, and art groups, creating and learning new things. I’d love to reconnect with people from the Friends School community! My email is yourfriendquin@ gmail.com and I’m @tomorrows. wasteland on Instagram.”
–––––––––– young alumni reunion: From Donor & Alumni Engagement Coordinator Dan Sullivan: “We had around 60 alumni show up for our pizza party/young alum reunion. It was a casual event on the yard, and a great chance for alums to reconnect with their former classmates in person and to see faculty again (Kristen, Sabrina, Jennifer S., Ester, and Annie were all in attendance). For many of the alums there, this was their first time back on campus since graduating, and for the Class of 2020, this was extra special since their final year at Friends was cut short by COVID and lockdowns!”
––––––––––
faculty: We are thrilled to share that the one and only Yvette Bonaparte P’13 & ’25:, SFFS Director of Admissions and part of our professional community since Day 1(!), has been elected to the Friends Council on Education Board of Directors. This is an incredible honor and we are so proud of the many contributions that Yvette has made—and will continue to make—to both our school and the wider Friends education community. Congrats, Yvette!
Do you have news to share with your fellow SFFS alums? Please send in a Class Note to Alissa at akinney-moe@ sffriendsschool.org— and thank you!
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photo album
among friends: summer 2022
photos from the past few months at sffs that capture our theme in this issue: forever friends
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san francisco friends school 250 valencia street san francisco, ca 94103 have any questions or requests regarding among friends magazine? please contact sffs director of communications alissamoeatakiney-moe@sffriendsschg.ol.r
