FALL 2004Patti Burns
Woodstown MM
Salem Quarter liaison with Friends School, Mullica Hill
alem Quarter made a generous contribution to the catalogue for the Friends School Auction when the hat was passed at the last Quarterly Meeting. The Quarter's advertisement looked terrific. The auction raised approximately $80,000. The school is very grateful to the Quarterly Meeting for their generosity.
The academic year ended on 9 June. Graduation of 32 eighth-graders was held on 8 June at a moving ceremony where each student had a chance to share his or her thoughts and experiences in a well-thought-out speech. I find the graduation program is a wonderful chance to observe our youth of 13 and 14 years old and to hear their own stories of how Friends School touched them.
The administration anticipates that the school will open with approximately 285 students, the same number as in 2003. As always, the school hopes to increase the number of Quaker children it serves. If you have or know of a Quaker child who would like to attend the school, please be in touch with Drew Smith, the head of school.
Currently the school is working with a landscape designer, Deirdre Agan, to help us with landscaping and general grounds improvement. Deirdre has been extremely generous with her time in creating plans. She has also thoroughly enjoyed her chance to help the eighth-graders refine their legacy project, which involved fund-raising to purchase benches and plant a tree to place near the school entrance. The Parents Association is raising additional funds to improve the grounds. On the last day of school, the students and faculty joined the Parents Association to plant a white oak tree near the entrance. The tree was selected in honor of the Salem Oak, which the students study in their fourth-grade exploration of Quaker history.
Keith Ragone of Woodstown MM created beautiful plaques to hang inside and outside the new building to honor the donors for whom the spaces were named. The background of the plaques includes student interpretations of the Peaceable Kingdom. A ceremony to dedicate the spaces was held on 4 June and was well attended by members of the community who participated in the capital campaign for the building. Friends School is extremely grateful to the members of Salem Quarter who participated in erecting the Hanshi Deshbandu Building.
Alumni have met on two occasions this year, once in May and a second time in June. School alumni have formed an alumni group that continues to grow. One of the unique elements of these reunions is the desire for entire alumni families to participate in the gatherings.
RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Last modified:
Saturday, August 28, 2004 at 09:52 PM
