Letter from Head of School Ken Aldridge

In June, we welcomed the Class of 2022

to the ranks of 273 years of Wilmington Friends School alumni. This was a class who, as I told them at their Final Assembly, had to completely reset their expectations for a typical high school experience in March 2020. I truly believe that because of this, they are a more compassionate, courageous, and connected class. It’s the theme of every conversation I have about them: an incredible group of individuals who collectively encourage, drive, and support each other. My hope is that the foundation they’ve built here – the people they have become, the way they lead with peace and integrity, and that optimism – will stay with them today, tomorrow, and always as they head off to change the world.

Commencement was a culminating point in a year full of bright spots, many of which you’ll read about in this issue. The 2021-2022 school saw the return of many events, from our Home & School Picnic and inperson Quaker Quiz Night to our spring QUEST trip to El Paso and inperson musicals. We also introduced the Nathan M. Clark speaker series where we welcomed thought leaders and change makers, including peacekeeper Rebecca Davis, climate scientist Michael Mann, and criminal defense and civil rights attorney Jeffery Robinson to engage with our school and broader community. And for the first time in recent years, the whole school gathered for Meeting for Worship on Mellor Field. It was truly a year of bringing us back together, to celebrate, to volunteer, to learn, and to grow.

We welcomed alumni back to Homecoming and other important events on campus, including our upper school lunch and learn program, where entrepreneur Theo Nix ’72 spoke with students about how he is training people to become FAA-certified drone operators. New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer ’90 met with middle schoolers after they studied the history and development of the city of Wilmington.

It was a year of important work on our diversity, equity, and inclusion front, and I’m pleased to announce that we have hired Erica Childs as the School’s first Director of Equity, Justice, Community, and Engagement. Erica’s leadership has been displayed to our community, most notably through our READ (Read and Educate ourselves on Anti-Racism and Diversity) sessions over the past two academic years. Additionally, Erica is a strong problem-solver, a good communicator, and has a vision for growing and deepening our DEI work.

As I told the Class of 2022 at commencement, their ability to rise to the challenge, overcome, and persevere is remarkable, an incredible testament to the kind of people they are becoming: compassionate, connected to the world around them, and willing to be courageous in the face of adversity. I could say the same about our faculty and staff, the work and commitment they have shown over the last two years of not just surviving, but thriving during a global pandemic. Because of this hard work, we look to start the school year with one of the highest enrollments in school history.

We have so much to look forward to as a community as we enter this new year, focusing on the Quaker testimony of simplicity, moving forward with our new lower school, and celebrating 100 years of girls’ athletics at Wilmington Friends to name just a few. I look forward to seeing you and your families on campus this fall.

In friendship,

Ken Pre-Commencement Fun! Seniors Hannah Carter, Mimi Terranova, Aniyah Barnett, and Ilana Princilius persuade Ken to be a part of a TikTok.