WFS Final Assembly Newsletter 2020

May 29, 2020

Final Assembly 2020

Dear Upper Schoolers,

I want to commend each and everyone of you for your agility, creativity, and determination displayed throughout the school year and, especially, over the last few months as we transitioned from our daily lives at 101 School Road to our days joined together through screens. This has been challenging in many ways, but mostly in being apart and trying to capture those moments and traditions we look forward to each spring. Because we cannot gather at school, one of those traditions we are unable to experience is Final Assembly. This newsletter highlights the announcements and recognitions usually made during this end-of-year celebration. And while these recognitions are very important, I will miss the true beauty of Final Assembly, the feeling of all of us together, listening to the Chamber Singers, celebrating our peers, and honoring our seniors.

I’d like to express a special “thank you” to the donors, listed throughout the newsletter, who have made many of these awards possible. Congratulations to this year’s award winners, and to all of you for your accomplishments this year.

We look forward to seeing our senior families at Senior Day on May 30th and at Commencement on July 18th, where we will have the pleasure of hearing from the seniors chosen by their peers to speak to the class, Hannah Blackwell and Luke Fahey.

In Friendship,

2020 Yearbook Dedication Taiasha Elmore Receptionist/Assistant, Middle/Upper School Campus This year’s Continuum is dedicated to Taiasha Elmore, Receptionist/Assistant at the middle/upper school campus. This quote from a student says it all: “Taiasha is one of the most caring, kind, and supportive people at the school. She doesn’t always receive the recognition for all that she does for us. Without her, school just wouldn’t run as smoothly as it does.”

Senior Class Gift

“The Class of 2020 has decided our senior gift will be blue and white Adirondack chairs for the lawn between the Jones House and Global Learning Center. We hope this gift will allow students to gather during the day and enjoy the outdoors.”

Academic Awards The Upper School World Language Award is given to the student who, in the study of language, demonstrates both a distinctive level of proficiency and a passion for learning. This student serves as a mentor and inspiration to classmates. In character as a learner, the student further demonstrates cultural openness and empathy, and values opportunities for personal connections with cultures and communities representing the target language.

The Gehret Mathematics Award is presented in memory of Amanda Spackman Gehret, Class of

1951. Each year, beginning in 1992, the Mathematics Department of Wilmington Friends School has selected an Upper School student to receive this award. The award recognizes a student who manifests outstanding mathematical achievement through development of ability and commitment to the experience of the whole class.

Established in memory of Robert P. Hukill, Wilmington Friends Class of 1949, The Robert P. Hukill Science Award recognizes the spirit of innovation and creativity, particularly in the applied sciences.

The award is conferred annually on a student in the junior class who develops practical solutions to common problems, has the potential for leadership, and has demonstrated knowledge, skills, or excellence in the sciences.

The English Department presents the Eden Wales Freedman 1999 English Award to a junior or senior who makes generous and positive contributions to his/her English classes; who demonstrates intellectual curiosity, ability, and skill in both literary analysis and writing; and who demonstrates an understanding of and appreciation for literature as an art.

Each year, the History Department presents the Jordan Wales 1997 History Award to an upper school student who has achieved a distinctive level of mastery of skills in historical research, analysis and interpretation, debate, and writing, while acting as a leader in the classroom and demonstrating an awareness of societal issues and consequences related to historical events. The Department recognizes the student’s achievements and contributions at Wilmington Friends, and also the student’s promise in future study of history and application of its lessons toward the common good.

The Wyeth Brothers Performing Arts Award, presented by the Performing Arts Department, is given annually to two seniors in order to honor those who have made substantial contributions to the artistic life of the school community. Students chosen will have demonstrated dedication, enthusiasm, leadership, artistry, and scholarship in the arts. They are students who have consistently strived to achieve high quality performances with an interest in continuing to build their skill level, all the while contributing to the learning experience of their peers throughout the Friends community.

The Wyeth Brothers Visual Arts Award, presented by the Visual Arts Department, is awarded annually to a student or group of students whose participation and visual expression consistently reflect a focused attempt to investigate, promote awareness and respect of self, others, and the world.

Upper School World Language Award

Jordan Wales 1997 History Award The IB History program aims to develop students’ ability to quickly understand complex social issues, and to reflect this in a well-structured written account, a balanced essay. The IB History essay standards are extraordinarily demanding; typically, only 5% of candidates worldwide earn the top mark. Both Nic and Annabel never ceased striving to improve their writing to achieve this level, and by the end of their senior year, achieved it.

Annabel Teague ’20

Olivia Delgado ’21

As a senior, Olivia will be entering her third year of IB HL Spanish, the unofficial equivalent of Spanish 6. As a gifted linguist, language play and interpretation are her strengths. Olivia is particularly gifted in understanding the spoken language, and in replying in creative, grammatically accurate, and spontaneous ways. Comprehending and producing jokes and sarcasm are a sign of quite high linguistic fluency and Olivia has already arrived.

She is a Spanish superstar!

Kalise Dyton ’21

Kalise began in Spanish 3 as a freshman, after having worked diligently to master the Spanish 2 curriculum outside of class. She continued to excel, taking on the IB HL curriculum, with plans to continue next year in IB HL year 3.

Kalise possesses an incredible working memory of vocabulary, which is quite evident when reading new texts and learning new material. She is also able to recall and seamlessly integrate complex grammatical structures and verb tenses, most notably in her writing. She is an absolutely outstanding linguist!

The World Affairs Club seeks to raise the school community’s understanding of controversial issues, and also to model constructive discussions, of a kind sorely missing in today’s hyperpartisan, knee-jerk posturing. As co-clerk, Annabel conscientiously and effectively conceived new debate ideas and turned them into successful school events.

Nick Urick ’20

Fridays For Future was a new organization this year, with high ambitions but no track record. As an influential senior, Nick’s leadership was pivotal to giving it credibility, stability and cohesion. He can take great pride in FFF’s Declaration of Climate Emergency, which was signed by 70% of students.

Eden Wales Freedman 1999 English Award Weldin Dunn ’20

Weldin distinguished himself in the classroom each day as a passionate, enthusiastic contributor. He not only demonstrated a tremendous appreciation for the power of words and language, but he took real risks by sharing his creative work and personal insights with clear connections to the literature we read. Weldin entertained and enlightened his class with a final production of a key scene from Sam Shepard’s True West, where he managed to play both foil characters with passion and conviction.

Wyeth Brothers Performing Arts Award Jimmy Butterfield ’20

Amanda Spackman Gehret Math Award Kiera Patterson ’20 Kiera has the innate talent, passion and drive for math and her thorough understanding of the subject is natural and deep. She loves to learn a new idea that either fits into her already solid conceptual framework or that challenges her understanding. She has a desire to collaborate, share her methods with those around her, and tutor students needing extra support in math. Kiera was an essential part of the team that created mathematical models to predict the spread of nicotine use due to vaping over the next 10 years as part of the National M3 Mathworks Mathematical Modeling competition. As a clerk for the Math Club, Kiera transformed it into the Math Appreciation Club, designing a program of fun and accessible math related activities for everyone at the school. The club also created and designed the Math Ambassador Program to provide free math tutoring available to all students during the school day.

Jimmy (or James) has exhibited the traits of a selfless musician while continuously giving to the school community since picking up the alto saxophone in the fourth grade. It was not an uncommon sight to see Jimmy in a practice room playing piano, guitar, or his saxophone. He was in Jazz Band all four years, where he served as a leader through his performance, often working with other musicians to increase their ability to improvise and to elevate the ensemble’s overall musicality. He took IB music Higher Level, and performed at numerous Informal Concerts and PRISM nights. Since Jimmy was in the eighth grade, he used his talents to enhance the pit bands for our musicals and also helped support the choirs by playing his tenor saxophone at many concerts. He helped attract students to WFS, having performed at admission events both on and off campus, and found opportunities outside of WFS to grow, performing in the Delaware Youth Symphony for the last two years.

Abby VandenBrul ’20

Abby brings her very best to so many aspects of the Performing Arts. As a performer, she has led the alto section in Chamber Singers for three years. As a music scholar, she has successfully pursued IB Music at the Higher Level.

Her biggest contributions to the artistic life of the school, however, have been through her work in our theatre program, performing on the stage in middle school to managing productions throughout high school. Her dance experience and her affinity for musicals fueled her desire to stage manage and direct, and she has achieved great success in each of these endeavors. She has served as stage manager for largescale musical productions, as well as for plays and student-run productions, making the various cogs of each production function together effectively.

Perhaps her crowning achievement was the superb direction of this year’s student-run play, “Almost Maine.” Her work was exemplary, setting a high standard for those who follow her.

The Robert P. Hukill Science Award Sander Katz ’21 The members of the science faculty are pleased to present this year’s Robert Hukill Science Award to Sander Katz. As a leading member of the Science Olympiad Team, Sander constructed hovercrafts, boom arms, and mousetrap vehicles. He has also been very active on the Robotics Team, for which he independently mastered advanced 3D Design software and 3D printing. He is an exemplary student in the classroom as well, excelling in his own efforts but also supporting the efforts and growth of other students.

He has even supported the Science Faculty in initiating a Lab Tech/Teaching Assistant opportunity that has given students a chance to assist behind the scenes in the science classrooms.

Wyeth Brothers Visual Arts Award

Joanna Clark ’20

Joanna joined our school community as a junior in the upper school. She came into the visual arts department as an IB Higher Level student with an energetic commitment to her creative work. Her positive enthusiasm has always been demonstrated in her visual artwork in class projects and has been exercised beyond, to other visual output in the school. This has been in her participation in ‘PRISM’ as the INSTAGRAM social media director and also in work on various school poster publications. Joanna pursued a thematic lens of ‘identity’ in her artworks, as she explored various media and techniques to present awareness in unique viewpoint. Her understanding has been demonstrated in her work using the visual arts as a universal means for message. She will be continuing to exercise her creative talents at New York University next year.

Blue Koenig ’20

Blue completed his tenure in the Visual Arts Program at WFS as an IB Higher Level student having enrolled in all of the visual arts courses as a ninth and tenth grader. Blue became part of the upper school student body as a ninth grader and at this start, immediately was an enthusiastic member of the visual arts program not only in courses, but also in the arts beyond the classroom. Blue has been clerk of ‘PRISM’ the school literary and arts magazine for three years. His work with this committee was always of a high level of excellence and commitment in organizing and producing activities, as well as the magazine, that reflected strong content in visual message. Blue has always used his artistic talents to focus on visuals that represent diversity and sense of stewardship in community. This is in thematic image that presents nature, animals and peoples. Blue will be pursuing graphic design in the visual arts at Drexel University.

Rachael Miller ’20

Rachael Miller always maintained an enthusiastic and positive energy in her creative vision as she came to solution in her artwork. She has been a student in the visual arts program at WFS since the ninth grade continuing in the elective art courses, exercising her skills and design thinking.

Rachael is a student, who has demonstrated strength in her work, through a consistent commitment to process.

She has worked and reworked her ideas in their various solutions with an openness to embracing new possibilities in solution. Rachael enrolled in the Visual Arts Major course as a senior. This course enabled her to culminate her talents and creative spirit in her final portfolio of work.

Message is present in the personal reflection that one can see in her artwork with a thematic focus being, ‘self and nature’. Rachael will attend Immaculata University next year.

The Charles W. Bush Award Award The Charles W. Bush Award is named for the former principal of Wilmington Friends School who served from 1922 until 1935. The award was established by the Board of Trustees to honor junior students who most clearly demonstrate the School’s ideals of character, scholarship, and service.

Elise Johnson ’21

Elise Johnson is a meticulous student who is thoughtful and focused.

Her consistency and approach to her studies are exemplary while her list of hobbies and interests are as diverse as they are lengthy. She approaches all problems with poise, consistency and a maturity the belies her years.

These habits, bundled together, allow us to see that Elise simply makes things happen.

Patrick McKenzie ’21 Luke Munch ’21 Patrick McKenzie is a driven, consistent and committed member of the Friends community.

While quiet, Patrick will never stop working or striving to help his peers.

It is clear that he cares deeply for this community and what it stands for as Patrick displays the SPICES each and every day while in the classroom or on field or court.

To sum up his approach, it is guaranteed that Patrick will be the last one to leave the room.

Luke Munch is a wonderfully curious, driven, mature student who shows a true passion for learning.

Despite being an intellectually gifted individual, he remains unfailingly humble and hardworking. His principles are evident not only in his approach to academics but also in his contributions to the community.

The foregoing, along with Luke’s thoughtful, kind, and supportive nature, make him a respected leader amongst his peers and a model Wilmington Friends citizen.

Lucy Taylor ’21

Lucy Taylor’s positive influence is felt in every corner of the school. Besides being an exemplary scholar and student who intrinsically cares about learning, Lucy is a kind, trustworthy, and dependable member of our community. Whether during class or one of her many extracurricular undertakings, she can be counted on to step up and help every single time. Though she is often a leader, Lucy is equally adept at taking a behind-the-scenes role and doing the little things that often go unnoticed.

Howard W. Starkweather Jr. ’44 Service Award The Howard W. Starkweather, Jr. Community Service Award is wishing to recognize the enduring example of service given by Howard W. Starkweather, Jr., Class of l944, to Wilmington Friends School and the larger community. During his twenty years as a Trustee, the Board of Trustees established this award. This year’s recipients have done incredible work to keep the spirit of the award alive and set an example for future generations.

Ava Cottone ’20

In her own words Ava describes service as “[service] to me is an opportunity to interact with many different people and share my skills and experiences to make a positive difference. It also allows me to make a small but meaningful impact on the world.”

Nothing that Ava has done has been small. Her work with the Boys and Girls Club lasted way beyond the 50 hours which was required for graduation. Ava became an ambassador for the cause, a dedicated supporter who would spend the extra hours working with the students for the pure joy of giving back. I still have her notes from her presentation on her work with the Boys and Girls club. It is still the gold standard as to what dedication and commitment look like. The same enthusiasm is apparent in her work with the WFS community especially Amigos Para Amigos.

Faculty sponsors can change, Ava will not. Doing service is not a phase for Ava, it is a way of living. She has shown us that even with a busy schedule, plenty of commitments during, before and after school, there is always time, as she said “to make a positive difference.”

Zoë Wishengrad ’20

Zoë was on her first protest march when she was 4 months old. She witnessed and learned the importance of service from none other than Howard Starkweather and his family since they are members of the same meeting. Being an active community member is part of who she is, that’s all she knows.

“I believe that service is an essential part of life. Serving others helps us individually but also strengthens our community. It helps us empathize with others and deepens our understanding of the world around us. Growing up in a quaker family, in the embrace of Wilmington Monthly Meeting, service has been woven into the fabric of my life from a young age (my first protest march was at 4 months old).”

Her over 300 hours of work with the Brandywine Zoo does not even cover all of her work. It is only one interesting fact from her page long list of activities. Delaware Art Museum? Yes, she has done that as well. Just to name something from the other end of her interest. Zoë always finds a way to get involved. No is not an option for her. I can honestly say that she is well on her way to keep the “Starkweather tradition” alive.

John M. Mendinhall II ’39 Award The John Marshall Mendinhall II Award recognizes the characteristics and contributions of John Marshall Mendinhall II, class of 1939. The award was established by his classmates following his death in recognition of John’s high ideals and his service to Friends School. The award is given each year to that member of the graduating class who is considered to have done the most for the School.

Sean Brady ’20

Sean Brady has earned the 2020 Mendinhall Award for his unflagging service to the WFS community. He embodies the high ideals of a scholar and gentleman who, without considering cost or benefit, offers the best of himself to others.

Sean is recognized by classmates, faculty, and staff as being unfailingly polite and kind to all. He leads from the front and from behind, quietly working hard to get results. He is particularly recognized for tutoring middle school students in Spanish, for welcoming new students and working with them on Link Crew, for being a reliable team member and leader on the baseball, soccer, and swim teams. He further acted as a sterling representative of the WFS community, raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and volunteering as a Spanish interpreter for families at the A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children.

Ashley Chompre ’20

Ashley Chompre is receiving the Mendinhall Award in recognition of her ideals and commitment to service to Wilmington Friends School. Nominated by the students of the senior class, Ashley demonstrates an unwavering commitment to excellence and integrity in everything that she does. Her influence at Friends reaches almost every aspect of the school. She is an unmatched athlete, leader by positive example in the classroom, member and clerk of numerous clubs, and led the Upper School Business Meeting with poise, wisdom, and sincere desire to do the best for the School.

Kiera Patterson ’20

Kiera Patterson is honored with this year’s Mendinhall Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to our school community. Kiera’s selection for this award by her peers and teachers is a celebration of how her leadership, service, and ideals have enriched Wilmington Friends School. Kiera has participated in and led numerous clubs and activities throughout her time at Friends, with a particular focus on activities of service such as the Blood Drive, Quaker Care, and Service Committee. She worked diligently to lead endeavors such as rewriting the Business Meeting bylaws and is praised by both teachers and coaches for her empathy and encouragement of her classmates and teammates.

Recognitions WFS Malone Scholar Eden Groum ’20

Wilmington Friends is the only Delaware school selected by the national Malone Family Foundation for its Scholars Program. The criteria for selection include the school’s academic caliber and the quality of the faculty and staff; excellent programs for gifted and talented students; attention to individual student needs, interests, and abilities; a commitment to financial aid; and an economically, culturally, ethnically, and socially diverse school community. For the Class of 2020, we honor our next Malone Scholar to graduate from Friends School, Eden Groum ’20.

2020 IB Diploma Candidates Emi Arai Evan Arai Olivia Billitto Cameron Blair Sean Brady Olivia Brick Ryan Evans Eden Groum

Liam Hudgings Madison Hughes Kate Saber Samantha Shipp Ariel Shweiki Sydney Taormina Annabel Teague Nick Urick

2020 Class Agents Sean Brady Kate Saber Casey Tyler

Class of 2020, welcome to the WFS Alumni Association!

AFS Student Siba Sharaf ’21

Wilmington Friends School has partnered with AFS in hosting international students since the program was founded in 1947. Recognizing the importance of engaging our students with the world beyond Wilmington, we welcome these students to our campus each year. This year’s cultural exchange student, Siba Sharaf, has taken advantage of just about every opportunity that attending an American school can provide.

From the classroom (in person and virtual), to field hockey, to poetry, Siba approached her year at Friends with gusto! Siba came to us from her hometown of Nablus, West Bank, and was quick to establish herself as a scholar, an athlete, and a friend to all who know her. Her teachers describe Siba as “enthusiastic”, “talented”, “open-minded”, and “a natural leader”. She has added a unique perspective in all of her classes and co-curricular activities. Siba will always remain a beloved member of the Friends School family.

We thank Siba’s host family -- Chris and Jill Loeffler and their son Colton -- for opening their home, and for providing the love and support that made Siba’s success and happiness possible.

Distinctive Service Distinctive Service Awards are presented each year to honor outstanding, distinctive service given by an individual to the school community. They may represent a particular outstanding service, a high quality of service in a number of areas, unusual leadership that affected the School, the demonstration of such spirit that the School has been changed positively as a result of it, and/or usually a combination of some of the above. Students and faculty are free to nominate students.

Leah Agne ’21, Slade Baldwin ’21, Bennett Ross ’21, Abby Emsley ’21 Dream Project These students are honored for raising money to support the Dream Project in the Dominican Republic. After our service trip last June they returned to school committed to continue supporting the Islabon community, and the literacy efforts of the Dream Project. They did a candy sale and bake sale over the winter and raised hundreds of dollars that was sent directly to the non-profit organization.

Aniyah Barnett ’22, Hannah Carter ’22 Class Spirit Hannah Carter and Aniyah Barnett are honored for their class spirit during our stay-at-home order this spring.

They rallied the tenth grade through different games, such as Stratego and a Kahoot. They sought ways to keep the class bonded and engaged during our challenging time of being apart.

Lilia Machado ’20, Ajala Elmore ’20, Jacob Jaworski ’20 Yearbook These students are honored for their work this year as editor-in-chief and co-editors-in-chief of the Continuum.

With the yearbook advisor on medical leave for the first two months of school, the task of organizing and training the staff was left completely up to them and they rose to the challenge. Their commitment also shone at the end of the year, when the final deadline had to be completed at home, as well as all of the work for the spring supplement, which now how to be adjusted to account for the COVID-19 quarantine.

Carter Gramiak ’21, Luke Munch ’21, Sydney Taormina ’20 B+ Committee These students are honored for their extraordinary leadership of the B+ Committee. They led countless brainstorming sessions, fundraisers, club meetings, and organized a plethora of club-related business, events, and discussions. Their genuine dedication to helping kids with cancer and their families is both admirable and noteworthy.

Felicia Froio ’21 Special Olympics Felicia Froio has done well over 100 hours volunteering every weekend with Special Olympics. She helps them to do basic tasks and then plays a seasonal sport with them whether its basketball or soccer. I know of a few people who have been in and around the special olympics program and they say that the connections that she makes with the kids and parents are unmatched. Her warm and outgoing nature allows the kids to feel as if they are just playing with friends, and I think that is the most service she could do for them. I am so proud of the impact she has made and she has brought so much love, respect and community to the Friends name and community.

Annabel Teague ’20, Nick Urick ’20 Mock Trial Annabel Teague and Nick Urick are recognized for their incredible leadership of the Mock Trial team this year, which finished in 4th place in the state! They were responsible, communicative, and super talented assets to the team as well.

Grace Morrison ’22, Kayla Farley ’21, Kat Harron ’21, Cassie Williams ’21, Abby Emsley ’21, Blythe Wallick ’21, Brooke Goodman ’21 Girls Affinity Club These students are recognized for their mature and welcoming leadership of the new Girls Affinity club this year.

They talked about some really tough issues that affect women in our society, shared personal stories, and came together to lift each other up. Thanks ladies!

Patrick McKenzie ’21 Cassie Williams ’21, Ariel Shweiki ’20 Friends of South Africa Club These students became incredible leaders of the Friends of South Africa club this year. They all stepped up big time in planning and executing our first South Africa Sports Night Fundraiser, which raised over $900 for the orphans in South Africa. Thank you so so much for all your hard work!

Upper School Business Meeting

The Co-Clerks of Upper School Business Meeting for the 2020-21 school year are Sander Katz ’21 and Sophie Mullen ’21.

Nick Redd ’20, Ajala Elmore ’20, Craig Lyttleton ’20, Mariah Aldridge ’21, Brandon Williams ’21 Black Student Union These students are honored for outstanding leadership of the Black Student Union this year. They successfully carried out several events including, a meet and greet with WFS middle school students of color, several MLK workshops, sending Black History facts of the day during February, and a Black History Month collection. BSU meetings were a lively and popular place to be this year due to the wide range of topics chosen by our leaders.

Kennedy Barnes ’21, Mene Ueberall ’21, Emily Fenimore ’21, Aine Grubb ’21 These students are recognized for their leadership in this year’s new Dance club. They organized incredible performances for the school this year and wowed us with their talents and leadership skills. The school is so happy to see people dancing!

Slade Baldwin ’21, Sam Boulos ’21 Beau Biden Foundation Club Slade Baldwin and Sam Boulos are recognized and commended for founding and leading the Beau Biden Foundation Club at WFS. Nick Urick ’20 The Whittier Miscellany Nick Urick is honored for his leadership of The Whittier Miscellany and his dedication to journalistic integrity.

Working closely with his writers and editors, he oversaw a student paper that brought to our school community issues of national and international importance and entertained us with insights about our own daily lives.

Always, he held his staff - and himself - to the highest standards of writing, and produced a paper that we all enjoy and of which we are proud.

Kyle Nisbet ’21, Grayson Sullivan ’20, Teddy Devoll ’21 Stock Market Club Kyle Nisbet and Grayson Sullivan are honored for excellent leadership of the Stock Market Club. Their keen understanding of investment strategies and enthusiasm for the activity has led to effective and energetic club meetings. They were in the process of organizing the first investment competition among local schools in collaboration with local financial businesses this year. Teddy Devoll is honored for being an integral member of The Stock Market Club at Friends.

Kiera Patterson ’20, Luke Munch ’21 Math Club Kiera Patterson and Luke Munch are honored for their excellent stewardship of the Math Club this year. With great enthusiasm they made the club more focused, interesting and accessible to a greater number of students. Each meeting had a unique focus and was led by a different person. Through Kiera and Luke’s leadership the math club became a place to explore the joy of mathematical thinking. It was also the main support for the math competitions and peer tutoring efforts.

Elise Johnson ’21, Manon Magnan de Bellevue ’21 Half the Sky Elise Johnson and Manon Magnan de Bellevue are honored for their leadership in Half the Sky. Elise and Manon ran meetings for the club and put on a particularly successful drive for feminine products to be donated to women and girls in need.

Sydney Taormina ’20, Kate Saber ’20 Best Buddies Sydney Taormina and Kate Saber are honored for their outstanding leadership and commitment to Best Buddies.

This year, Sydney and Kate gave hours of their time to organizing, facilitating, and participating in meet-ups between our students and people with disabilities. They also brought a nationally recognized speaker to Friends in the fall, completed all administrative and clerking tasks flawlessly, and made crucial decisions that will determine the direction of the club in years to come.

Zoe Holden ’20, Jadyn Elliott ’20, Nick Urick ’20 Diversity Club These students are honored for their leadership of the Diversity club. They were independently motivated, and have led the club for several years now. They arranged for wonderful conversations, thoughtful bulletin boards, and awelcoming environment for discussions.

Jadyn Elliott ’20, Casey Tyler ’20 Encore Club Jadyn Elliott and Casey Tyler are honored for their leadership of the Encore club. This year the Encore club led several Karaoke sessions during lunch that were highly attended and enjoyed by all. Hopefully their creativity and initiative will lead to a new musical tradition here at Friends that will last for many years.

Kiera Patterson ’20, Courtney Thomson ’20 STEMinist Club Kiera Patterson and Courtney Thomson are honored for their efforts as co-clerks of the STEMinist committee. Their work has brought speakers to campus to talk about their experiences in STEM-related careers, sharing insights and advice for students aspiring to work in such fields. Through this committee, they have also made connections with WFS alumni who are eager to come to campus to talk about their careers.

Abby VandenBrul ’20, Zoë Wishengrad ’20, Casey Tyler ’20 March for our Lives Club Abby VandenBrul, Zoë Wishengrad, and Casey Tyler are honored for their leadership of the March for our Lives Club. Through their creativity, dedication, and effort, they have raised awareness about the threats posed by gun violence. They leave behind an active and effective club, and we are grateful for their work.

Hannah Blackwell ’20 Ski Club Hannah Blackwell is honored for her leadership of Ski Club. She led the group with grace and humor, and sparked new enthusiasm for skiing at WFS. Ava Cottone ’20 Unified Sports Club Ava Cottone is honored for her service to the Unified Sports Club for the last three years. She has been the clerk the last two years, while organizing our team for the annual Polar Bear Plunge in order to raise money for Special Olympics Delaware.

Olivia Billitto ’20 Female Advocacy Club Olivia Billitto is honored for her service to the Female Advocacy Club at school. Olivia worked hard to provide a voice for the female athletes at Wilmington Friends the last two years. She started a speakers series featuring prominent female athletes in the area who achieved greatness in their respective sports.

Courtney Thomson ’20, Olivia Brick ’20 Kind to Kids Courtney Thomson and Olivia Brick are honored for their work spreading awareness and raising monies for the Kind to Kids organization. They showed true concern and compassion in planning and executing fundraisers to support kids in the foster system.

Ariel Shweiki ’20 and Cameron Blair ’20 Sea Turtle Service Ariel Shweiki and Cameron Blair are honored for their desire to help sea turtles by creating bags. They tried several prototypes and were on their way to successfully achieving their goals.

Ava Cottone ’20, Sydney Taormina ’20 Amigos para Amigos Club Ava Cottone and Sydney Taormina are honored for their work with the Amigos para Amigos Club. They prepared numerous baked goods and helped to organize fundraisers, even partnering with other schools to achieve maximum results and goodness.

Austin Sarker-Young ’22 Eco-Team Austin Sarker-Young is honored for his work leading the Eco-Team to successfully complete the first level of the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-School Certification for Wilmington Friends School. He has been extremely dedicated to this project and enthusiastic about introducing green initiatives at our school.

Leah Agne ’21, Madison McCoy ’21, Leila Mulveny ’21, Tamryn Sainten ’21, Zoe Holden ’20 Ethics Bowl These students are honored for their contributions to the Ethics Bowl team during 2019 the Delaware Valley Ethics Bowl. These women researched 15 separate cases, prepared oral arguments for each, and presented these cases in competition. They represented the best of WFS - well done!

Estelle Hegenbarth ’21, Casey Tyler ’20, Livy Zug ’22 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference These students are honored for their excellent representation of Friends School at the 2020 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference. These three students wasted no time joining in and showing real leadership in the personal and social growth activities at the conference. They bring their experience and enthusiasm back to WFS and we look forward to their insight and initiative in 2020-2021!

Olivia Brick ’20, Kiera Patterson ’20, Courtney Thomson ’20 Blood Drive These students are honored for their outstanding organizational and inspirational leadership as co-clerks of the 2020 Blood Drive. With determination and positive motivation, they committed well over 50 members of the WFS community to pledge donations, and supported these donors throughout the process, welcoming them (sometimes providing childcare) and cheerfully monitoring their recovery in the “canteen”. Thank you for your truly life-saving efforts!

Ashley Chompre ’20, Wyatt Nelson ’20, Hannah Blackwell ’20, Casey Tyler ’20, Kiera Patterson ’20, Sean Brady ’20 Business Meeting These students are honored for their exemplary service to the school as the leaders of the Business Meeting team and members of the Steering Committee. They devoted hours to the implementation of the valuable business facing our Upper School Meeting community, as they led by example in the US Agenda Committee and division-wide Meeting for Worship for Business. We will all benefit from the serious and selfless work dedicated to the task of writing new by-laws for the US Business Meeting. Thank you!

Matt Banschbach ’21, Hannah Carter ’22, Tony Cheng ’22, Carson Dunn ’22, Estelle Hegenbarth ’21, Sander Katz ’21, Blue Koening ’20, Anniina Lappalainen ’21, Helen Liu ’23, Manon Magnan de Bellevue ’21, Conner Manning ’22, Analisa Nichols ’21, Sarah Zaritsky ’23 Sound and Light Committee These students are honored for their contributions in tech support through their participation in the Sound and Light Committee. They have provided outstanding technical assistance during concerts for all divisions, the US student-run production, and the 5th and 8th grade Musicals. Their hard work ensured successful and entertaining productions, and their willingness to assist with concerts and shows across divisions was greatly appreciated!

Kennedy Barnes ’21 8th Grade and US Musical Choreography Kennedy Barnes is nominated for her continued dedication to creating and teaching high-quality choreography for both the US and 8th Grade Musicals. She once again gave much of her personal time to support the work of students across divisions. Her unique ability to work with her peers and with younger students, imparting knowledge in a fun and effective way, was greatly appreciated.

Sarah Stovicek ’21 8th Grade Musical Pit Band Sarah Stovicek is honored for her continued commitment to helping out in the pit band for the 8th Grade Musical.

She once again gave much of her personal time to support the work of students across divisions. Her positivity and enthusiasm for helping to enhance the show was greatly appreciated.

Jimmy Butterfield ’20, Maxine Chou ’21, Weldin Dunn ’20, Sarah Stovicek ’21 Winter Choral Concert These students are honored for assisting as musicians during the Winter Choral Concert. Their talent, musicianship and their willingness to assist with an ensemble of which they are not a member added much to the performance. Their participation was greatly appreciated by the students and the director as well as the audience.

Sarah Stovicek ’21, Abby VandenBrul ’20 US Student Production Sarah Stovicek and Abby VandenBrul are honored for their amazing leadership, vision, and direction of the US Student Production this year. Their understanding of how to bring a theatrical production together, their ability to work well with other students, and their dedication to a task that involved many extra-curricular hours provided a unique opportunity for our students and an entertaining performance for our community. Thank you for a wonderful performance of “Almost, Maine.”

Weldin Dunn ’20 Three-School Choral Festival Weldin Dunn is honored for his willingness to serve as a musician at the Three-School Choral Festival held this year at Tower Hill School. Though not a member of the choir, Weldin gave freely of his own time to accompany our Chamber Singers and greatly enhanced the experience for all involved.

Annabel Teague ’20, Liam Hudgings ’20, Katrina Winfield ’20 World Affairs Club These students are honored for their energetic and conscientious organization of World Affairs debates. They provided an exemplary and popular channel for students to defend ideas, deepen everyone’s understanding of controversial current issues, and model productive discourse.

Sophie Mullen ’21, Craig Lyttleton ’20, Weldin Dunn ’20, Pier-Paolo Ergueta ’22, Elise Johnson ’21, Anniina Lappalainen ’21, Sander Katz ’21, Corey Silberglied ’22 World Affairs Club Debates These students are honored for preparing and then defending a controversial case as part of a lunchtime World Affairs Club debate, in front of much of the school. They illustrated how contentious issues can be discussed animatedly and yet constructively, in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Annabel Teague ’20, Nate Rashkind ’21 QuizBowl Annabel Teague and Nate Rashkind are honored for organizing and leading this year’s QuizBowl intramural competitions. Once a cycle, they hosted fellow students in fun contests celebrating the acquisition of a broad array of knowledge of our world.

Kat Harron ’21, Blythe Wallick ’21, Sarah Stovicek ’21, Elise Johnson ’21, Tamryn Sainten ’21 Laugh and Learn Board These students are honored for posting humorous political cartoons about national affairs on the Laugh and Learn Board. They helped infuse our civic obligation of keeping up with current news with humor and fun.

Harry Anderson ’20, Weldin Dunn ’20, Nick Urick ’20, Annabel Teague ’20, Austin Sarker-Young ’22, Conner Manning ’22, Pier-Paolo Ergueta ’22, Rohan Mandayan ’23, Zarina Stone ’22, Alessio Cristanetti-Walker ’23 National History Bowl These students are honored for being among the over fifty WFS students who competed in this year’s National History Bowl competition, and for their teams’ qualifying to compete in the National Tournament in Washington DC, which would have been held in April. Together, WFS contestants upheld an interest in history, and evidenced that at Wilmington Friends, we consider that learning and knowledge are compatible with fun.

Blue Koenig ’20 PRISM Committee Blue Koenig is honored as the clerk of PRISM for his commitment, participation and energy throughout the year, in various creative work for the PRISM committee.

This included the planning and production of PRISM ‘Nite’, and in the publication of the PRISM Arts and Literary Magazine 2020.

Sarah Stovicek ’21, Elise Johnson ’21, Manon Magnan de Bellevue ’21, Jace Boland ’23 PRISM Committee These students are honored for their commitment, participation and energy, in various creative work for the PRISM committee. This included the production of PRISM ‘Nite’, and in the publication of the PRISM Arts and Literary Magazine 2020.

Brooke Goodman ’21, Blythe Wallick ’21 Prom Committee Brooke Goodman and Blythe Wallick are honored for their efforts as co-clerks of the prom committee. We thank them for their work, leadership, and commitment. Their significant contributions will prove invaluable to future events.

Jadyn Elliott ’20 Spirit Committee Jadyn Elliott is honored (and thanked!) for her outstanding leadership of the Spirit Committee. Her dedicated commitment, effective organization and infectious enthusiasm allowed for a highly successful and enjoyable homecoming event.

Olivia Billitto ’20, Denzel Dixon ’20, Zoe Holden ’20, Jacob Jaworksi ’20, Kiera Patterson ’20, Casey Tyler ’20 Spirit Committee These students are honored for their significant contributions as co-clerks of the Spirit Committee. Their hard work and dedication resulted in smooth and well-organized homecoming events. The Spirit Committee was lucky to have such capable individuals at the helm.

Eden Groum ’20, Evan Arai ’20, Wyatt Nelson ’20, Katrina Winfield ’20 Link Crew Leaders These students are honored for their work as Link Crew Leaders. Orientation was a great success because of their effort and commitment.

Ashley Chompre ’20, Kiera Patterson ’20, Sam Gise ’20, Jack Taylor ’20 Sully Williams ’20, Casey Tyler ’20, Peter Erskine ’21 Service Committee These students are honored for their work on the service committee. The seniors’ enthusiasm will be missed for years to come.

Kiera Patterson ’20, Ashley Chompre ’20 Nemour’s duPont Childern’s Hospital Kiera Patterson and Ashley Chompre are honored for their work with the Nemour’s duPont Childern’s Hospital. They were relentless about looking for and finding opportunities to show for the patients at the hospital.

Their kindness toward the children and dedication to the cause have set an example for everyone around them.

Annabel Teague ’20, Jadyn Elliott ’20 Student Discipline Committee Annabel Teague and Jadyn Elliott are honored for their incredible work as clerks of the Students Discipline Committee. Their passion for fairness combined with clear understadning of our core values have changed the way SDC operates. Students on both sides of the issues feel heard and supported. The challenge they faced at the beginning of the year was overwhelming but they passed with distinction.

Ava Cottone ’20, Remy Stewart ’20, Zoe Holden ’20, Jadyn Elliott ’20, Emi Arai ’20 Senior-First Grade Buddies These students are honored for their sincere and enthusiastic effort in organizing the senior-first grade buddy activities. Their creative ideas produced successful encounters that will be long remembered by students in both seniors grades.

Max Grimes ’21 Lacrosse Gear Service Project Max is honored for his service collecting and distributing lacrosse gear to seven underfunded high school lacrosse teams in Delaware. Without his help other high school kids would not have had the opportunity to play due to lack or athletic clothing and equipment. Way to go Max. Katrina Winfield ’20, Nick Urick ’20, Pier-Paolo Ergueta ’22, Austin Sarker-Young ’22, Cameron Blair ’20, Casey Tyler ’20, Lilia Machado ’20, Meghan Malone ’21, Patrick McKenzie ’21, Craig Lyttleton ’20, Eddie Micheletti ’20 FFF Climate Strike These students are honored as part of Fridays for Future for their outstanding effort and organization the WFS September 20th climate strike. These students demonstrated exceptional work on very short notice that included gathering support, producing signs and artistic displays, collecting carbon footprint information on a large scale, creating the teach-in event and rallying enthusiasm while maintaining order during the successful execution of the march.

Nick Urick ’20, Lilia Machado ’20, Meghan Malone ’21, Tamryn Sainten ’21, Sophie Mullen ’21, Pier-Paolo Ergueta ’22, Conner Manning ’22, Bella Adjei-Owusu ’22 FFF Declaration of Climate Emergency These students are honored for their outstanding effort as part of Fridays For Future in organizing and recruiting fellow students to stand up publicly in favor of recognition of our looming climate problem, and to take on the responsibility of informing themselves and others about it. Their Declaration of Climate Emergency put the climate crisis at the center of the school community’s consciousness, an important step to taking action against this threat.

Sophie Mullen ’21, Sarah Stovicek ’21, Meghan Malone ’21, Tamryn Sainten ’21, Kyle Nisbet ’21, Pier-Paolo Ergueta ’22, Grace Morrison ’22 FFF EcoChallenge These students are honored for their Fridays For Future work organizing the EcoChallenge competition at WFS, taking active part in it, and/or for extending it to seven other area high schools and to the wider WFS community.

Through their efforts, the first ever Delaware Inter-School Climate Competition ended on Earth Day with the first place award earned by WFS. Craig Lyttleton 20, Denzel Dixon ’20, Zarina Stone ’22, Gianna Martinelli ’22, Nick Redd ’20, Olivia Delgado ’21, Elise Johnson ’21, Austin Sarker-Young ’22, Weldin Dunn ’20, Pier-Paolo Ergueta ’22, Cameron Blair ’20, Izzy Miller ’23, Jakob Middlebrooks ’22, Bella Adjei-Owusu ’22, Bruno Yeh ’22, Sander Katz ’21, Grace Morrison ’22 Climate Awareness These students are honored for a wide variety of activities carried out during the school year to raise awareness about the climate emergency and to inform our school community about the many ways it is already affecting us, and the many ways that we can take action against it. Activities included putting on lunchtime events like the Cranky Uncle Thanksgiving Dinner Dramatization, leading workshops for MLK Day and the Youth Environmental Summit, and communicating via Instagram, Whittier articles, web postings, WAC debates, and other school meetings.

Luke Munch ’21, Teddy DeVoll ’21 Chess Club Luke Munch and Teddy DeVoll are honored for their work with the Chess Club. They organized this fun and stimulating club that taught chess to people new to the game and improved the skills of seasoned players.

Kiera Patterson ’20, Lucy Taylor ’21 Animal Alliance Kiera Patterson and Lucy Taylor are honored for their work with Animal Alliance. They organized a drive for shelter animals that provided food, supplies and even toys for animals in the DE Humane Society.

Ashley Chompre ’20, Kiera Patterson ’20 Clothing Bank of Delaware Ashley Chompre and Kiera Patterson are honored for their ongoing work with the Clothing Bank of Delaware.

For the fourth year in a row, they organized an underwear drive that provided these necessary items for people in need in our community.

Congratulations and Best Wishes to the Class of 2020!