Farewell Susan! (But Not Goodbye

After 15 years on the WFS Board of Trustees, we are saying “goodbye” to Board Clerk Susan Kelley who will be rotating off. Susan was Vice Clerk for two years and Clerk for eight, and prior to that she was the Home & School Board Liaison. We are thrilled to say that Susan will remain involved in several Board committees. Here, we talked to Susan about her time on the Board.

Please tell us about your background with WFS. What has the School meant to you?

My husband, Bernie, and I moved our children, Eric and Lauren, to WFS when they were starting 2nd grade and kindergarten, respectively, in 2000. Bernie first suggested looking at WFS; he had a number of coworkers who had children there. I was very involved at our kids’ previous schools and we liked our neighborhood, so I was hesitant but agreed that if he would set up the appointment, I would visit, thinking he never would! Well, he did make the appointment. We visited and fell in love with WFS. We found it warm, friendly, strong academically, more diverse than our previous school, and with an educational philosophy that matched ours.

I had served on the Board of Trustees at Fairville Friends School and had been a class rep at Unionville Elementary School, so I wanted to find a way to get involved in our new school. The first year, I focused on helping in the classrooms when they needed volunteers and making sure that both children transitioned well into their new school. After that year, I moved into various roles in Home & School and continued to volunteer–in the Library, co-chairing two after proms, coordinating concessions for sporting events, and co-clerking the sports banquet until both Eric and Lauren graduated. I also became an ardent sports fan of WFS as my children went through the School.

We met many parents during our time there that became good friends, who we now consider lifelong friends. In the past few years, we have had the opportunity to see so many of the children that we knew when our kids were at WFS grow up and graduate from college, medical school, law school, graduate school, get jobs, get married, have children, and some are even considering sending their future children to WFS. The years have flown by, but the School will always mean so much to me. Wilmington Friends has been a huge part of our lives and a second home for more than 20 years, and for 15 of those years, I have served on the Board of Trustees.

Working with people like Bryan Garman, Bill Baczkowski, Ken Aldridge, Marilyn Maguire, Ann Cole, Darcy Rademaker, and all the other trustees, as well as the admin team has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I will miss serving on the Board, and seeing, almost every day, the many people that have become so special to me. It is truly hard to imagine not being at school and being a part of the work of the Board. I would stay forever, but it is time for others to take over. I am confident that the School will continue to thrive and adapt to the world in which we live. More importantly, I know that it will continue to serve our community and educate the future leaders of our world while honoring the Quaker testimonies. It is a special community that I feel extremely fortunate to have been a part of in this way for so long. I will treasure these years forever.

What interested you about joining the Board at WFS?

I have always enjoyed schools and, like my mother, was always involved with the schools my children attended. However, being on the Board is different from being in school helping with events or assisting faculty in some way. It is about the future of the School and ensuring that it continues to provide educational opportunities consistent with its mission, as well as remaining financially viable.

I was on the Board at Fairville Friends School in 2004 and was clerk of that Board for several years ending in 2007, so I had some understanding of how Quaker Boards operated. In comparison to being on the Fairville Board, joining the WFS Board was like moving from a summer job to your first “career job.” That was in 2004-2005. I have since held various positions on the Board, most recently serving four terms as Board Clerk.

My length of time as clerk is a little longer than is typical, but I remained clerk when we had a transition in leadership when Bryan Garman left to become the Head of Sidwell Friends. I served as clerk while Bill Baczkowski was Interim Head of School, and then remained clerk of the Board when Ken Aldridge became the new Head of School in 2015. I have really enjoyed working with all three Heads of School. I think what I am going to miss most is the amazing people that I have gotten to work with over the years.

What interested me most about joining the Board was the ability to be a part of ensuring the future of WFS. When I first

came to WFS, the School had just celebrated its 250th anniversary. I wanted to be a part of that history and to assist in any way I could to make sure that the School is around for at least another 250 years. I am thrilled that we will be celebrating the 275th anniversary of the School in 2023. Having this opportunity to guide the School’s future has been incredible. I have learned so much and had the opportunity to work with so many smart, dedicated people, passionate about education and WFS.

What were your favorite initiatives to work on as a Board member?

There are so many. I really enjoyed being a part of the $27.5 million Future of Friends campaign that enabled us to build the Theater, Atrium, Nook, and GLC in addition to renovating the MS/US Learning Commons, art facilities, third floor classrooms, and the Mellor Turf Field. I also am very proud of the decision to begin our one-to-one laptop program in 2012. It has served our students well and allowed us to smoothly transition to remote learning during our current global pandemic. One of the things I was personally focused on when I first joined the Board in 2004 was the need for non-tuition aid to cover all the extra and incidental costs that students and families incur. I am extremely happy to say that we now have a special endowment started by the Laffey-McHugh Foundation that supports exactly those needs.

Other highlights for me include the adoption and reaffirmation of our IB program; the addition of the Malone School Online Network program; our preschool Reggio Emelia-based program; and our outdoor classroom. The purchase of our 3D printers and the creation of our maker spaces, as well as our experiential Quest trips are just a few of the examples of the academic initiatives that the Board supported during my tenure that I have been excited about.

I would have to say that the move to build a new lower school on our upper/middle school campus is the most exciting project that I have been involved in most recently. The opportunity to unify our school as it once was, providing more opportunities for interdivisional collaboration while creating innovative new learning spaces and opportunities for our youngest students is very exciting. While there are challenges and concerns to be addressed, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. An opportunity that is ambitious, unprecedented, and life-changing.

What do you feel is the School’s greatest accomplishment during your time on the Board?

I personally was moved by our community’s generosity and support of our Annual Fund that allowed us to become the first day school in Delaware with an Annual Fund over $1 million. It was a goal I had hoped that WFS would reach, and we were able to do that for several years since then. I also think getting our endowment over $30 million was an incredible accomplishment. I believe that our endowment growth is one of the most important ways to ensure that WFS continues to thrive and grow. Of course, I am very proud of the millions of dollars of deferred maintenance that we were able to complete during my time on the Board while also updating and adding to our physical plant as I mentioned previously.

As you leave the Board, what do you envision for the future of the School? Where do you see the School in ten years?

I think the School is going to continue to be at the forefront of education - providing an educational opportunity that would be wonderful if all children could experience it. I see WFS all together on one campus, increasing the opportunities for interdivisional collaboration at all levels.

Susan with former Board Clerk, parent of alumnae, and grandparent David Singleton.

I see WFS utilizing many forms of technology, providing innovative and skill-building experiences that incorporate our arts/ music programs, extracurricular programs, and sports programs. I see increased outreach programs that continue our service-based learning initiatives. I envision in-person and remote access to learning enabling greater opportunities for individualized learning. I imagine students having even more experiential opportunities for learning and travel. I see our endowment well over $75 million, allowing the School to provide educational opportunities for more students capable of excelling academically while pursuing their personal interests and talents. And, supporting all of the educational opportunities are the Quaker testimonies well-integrated into the life of all of our school.

I imagine our alumni continuing to serve as examples of the best of humanity. Our faculty will be well-paid, with many professional development opportunities, and a sense of deep satisfaction in the amazing work they do every day changing lives for the better with every student they interact with. Finally, in 2030, I see WFS celebrating its 283rd year while anticipating its 300th anniversary in 2048.

If you could give the incoming Board Clerk one piece of advice, what would it be?

I would tell David to remember that although there is no way to predict what challenges and opportunities he will face in the years ahead, as long as he, and the entire Board, continues to learn, seek the truth, and be open to all possibilities, the School will thrive. Stay true to the mission of the School and rely on the Quaker testimonies for guidance and direction. I wish him all the best and know that he will be a terrific Board Clerk. He has a wonderful Board, dedicated faculty, thoughtful and perceptive administrators, and one of the best Heads of School in the world to support his efforts, and the foundation of 272 years to build upon.

Dream Big, Pursue Excellence, Embrace Uncertainty, “Do You!”

New WFS Board Clerk David Tennent

David Tennent has been a member of the WFS Board since 2012 and most recently served as Clerk of the Property Committee. He is a member of the Kennett Meeting. He has three children, David ’03, Barbara (Unionville High School ’05), and Nina ’16, and a stepson, Max Kutsch, who attended sixth grade at Wilmington Friends before moving out of the area in 2009. David is a partner in a transportation consulting and government affairs firm in Washington, D.C. As an engineer, he has participated in railway transportation infrastructure projects all over the world. He enjoys mountain biking, motorcycling, and playing the violin.