pankti’s first fall at valencia street

Months

Friends, Head

As San Francisco Friends School’s new Head of School Pankti Sevak and her family (wife Josie Rodberg and daughters Anjali and Mira) settled into life in San Francisco this past summer after arriving from Brooklyn, they connected with other families (Anjali joined the 1st Grade at Friends, while Mira has enrolled at Pacific Primary Preschool) and got a feel for their new West Coast home, exploring the city and the different neighborhoods where they considered putting down permanent roots. Pankti was also able to connect with current parents, trustees, and members of the extended SFFS network over Four Barrel coffees and 1:1 meetings in her sunny office overlooking Brosnan Street. She also recently described bearing witness to the power and magic of the Horizons program as the summer program was in full force during her first days at Friends.

And while the summer months may have allowed Pankti a slightly more relaxed pace to adjust and connect, the arrival of students and families in the fall kicked her enthusiasm for joining this community into high gear. She has a desire to “hit the ground sprinting” as Board of Trustees Co-Clerk Rebecca Foster P’24 / ‘26 / ‘29 aptly put it, greeting families on the Front Yard on the first day, celebrating new beginnings at the Picnic with Pankti at 250 Valencia in September, taking in the magic of our learning community at the Back-to-School Nights, welcoming parents to her office for a series of intimate morning coffees (interspersed with cups of caffeine at the resurrected Coffees Under the Awning), and reminiscing about her special relationship with her own grandmother at the first in-person GrandFriends Day in three years. She also hosted a series among friends: winter 2023 ing 2020 of evening Town Halls where she shared her initial priorities as Head and provided space for our families to ask the questions that had been on their minds. Add to that Booktopia, the Craft Fair, the return of Community Meetings for Worship in the Meeting Room, and Winter Celebration, and the fall calendar at Friends is brimming with Friends joy, spirit, and connection.

Of the experience, Pankti says, “I was so excited to join this community. My transition was a long one (almost a whole academic year), which gave me the benefit of starting on some early projects and being intimately involved in the leadership changes on the Admin Team. These opportunities gave me the chance to get to know community members and really dive in once my official tenure began. I was also really excited to move here—Josie and I have always said that living in the Bay Area was a dream for us. So, it felt wonderful when we sent off the moving truck and boarded our flight as a family to really begin this journey after a long year of planning.

I am enjoying getting to know the geography of San Francisco, and the profound beauty in the nature and landscape here. I love going for walks and exploring. A fun recent discovery was Fairyland in Oakland! At school, the best place to find delight and enjoyment is in any classroom. I love talking with students about what they are learning—and whether I am watching the 4th Grade write their novellas or the 1st Grade working on math puzzles or the range of students who love to shelve books in the library, the joy is palpable. Gaining an appreciation for curriculum and the amazing teachers also always fills my bucket.”

Clearly, Pankti has jumped into the bustle of San Francisco Friends School whole-heartedly, embracing our community with an excitement to connect and a curiosity to learn more. From taking in the Middle School play to getting down on her hands and knees to construct a Lincoln Log cabin with the equally energized Kindergartners, her enthusiasm has helped our community transition to a slate of decidedly more in-person events and celebrations than we’ve experienced in years, as the pandemic continued to roll on and keep us in our Zoom boxes. This year has felt like a new opportunity, and we are excited to continue to grow and evolve as a community—while celebrating our history, as you’ll read on the next page—with Pankti at the helm. •