FALL 2002Drew Smith
Head of School
ust this past week, a former student of ours completed a volunteer project, the result of which is a fine addition to our campus. The student named the project the Compass Rose, and it sits on the west side of the Cope Building in an area that has historically been little utilized by students and teachers alike. The Compass Rose is a small amphitheater with concrete seating stained to match the unusual pink color of Cope. The student even installed a small irrigation system, complete with timer, to water the new plants and grass added to the landscape. He imagines English classes reading and talking about books, kids eating lunch on good weather days, and middle school students gathering on the seats during their recess time. He and a crew of volunteers spent hours in this summer’s heat, successfully meeting his self-imposed deadline of “before I go off to college.”
Former students visit frequently in the summer, although not many break a sweat. They come to see classrooms and teachers and how things have changed. It is especially rewarding for me to hear the affection these students feel for the school, even after they’ve moved on to high school or college. For a few, their affection is so great it has drawn them to service on our Board of Trustees or as teachers in two of our classrooms. It is clear to me that as the school matures, this community of alumni will be a remarkable source of outreach from our part of the Quaker world.
I am mindful that principals and heads at other schools could tell similar stories about their former students. Building a broad community is not a mission in the exclusive domain of Friends School or Friends in general. I know that our students who continue their education at public or parochial schools frequently feel that they’ve joined a community that is equally strong as the one they remember in Mullica Hill.
As the Board, faculty, and parents complete the school’s next strategic plan, it is clear that one of the important measures of how successful we are as an institution will be how well we are able to extend our community beyond its current ranks. We already serve some home-schooled children by offering music classes and lessons. How can we serve them differently or better? Our music program and summer camp enroll hundreds of students who attend schools other than our own. What role can we continue to play in their lives? A Quaker Outreach Subcommittee was formed this past year. How can this committee continue to fortify the bridge between the Quarter and Friends School staff, parents, and students?
I know from my work with other heads of Friends’ schools that their institutions struggle as much as ours does to become part of a broader community. I believe our school is in a unique position to meet this challenge. We are a relatively new institution, one whose traditions and culture is still being established. And as a Friends’ school, our traditions, our culture, and our community should be constantly built and rebuilt. I hope that this time next year I will write about some of our work that responds to those queries and that that work includes some new traditions that strengthen the bond between the Friends School and Salem Quarter.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM
