In December, Grade 3 students launched a study of graphic novels, exploring the history of comics and the distinctive text features that shape the form—panels, speech bubbles, captions, splash pages, gutters, pointers, sound effects, two-page spreads, and more. Along the way, students learned that reading comics requires visual literacy: making meaning by reading both the words and the images, together. Since returning from winter break, students have stepped into the role of

Behind the closed door of a long-abandoned house, a dare becomes a threshold—and a Middle School ensemble becomes the storyteller. This year’s production, ‘Elsewhere’, (directed by Trent Williams) invites us into a boarding school in New Hampshire where the former headmaster’s home has sat empty for decades—sealed up after the disappearance of his son and whispered about ever since. When four students step inside, they don’t find ghosts or ghouls. They find a doorway. On the

Grade 6 doesn’t just write stories—they produce books: imagined, revised, illustrated, and bound into something real. Inspired by classic story structure and character archetypes, and guided by Yuxi, Leana, and Nina, students spent months shaping original short stories—drafting and revising with intention, practicing “showing versus telling,” stretching sentence variety, and discovering how small choices can shift an entire scene. The work asked for craft and courage: to retu

The Friends Foundations course—co-led by CPEJ—begins with big questions, then asks students to practice answering them with care. Designed as a ninth-grade touchstone, Friends Foundations  invites students to explore the intersections of Quaker practice, citizenship, service, and identity, and to consider how values like equality, peace, and stewardship can move from belief into action. This year’s culminating projects reflected that charge: students researched urgent issues,

From January 27–30, a group of Friends Upper School student leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. for the NAIS Student Civic Leadership Summit—an immersive program that invites high school students from across the country to study how change happens, and to practice the skills needed to help shape a more just future. Hosted in partnership with the Close Up Foundation and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the summit centered on real-world civic learning: s

The Diversity, Equity & Belonging Committee hosted a powerful panel highlighting the immigration stories within our own community. Upper School students and faculty gathered in the Meetinghouse for a thoughtful conversation moderated by Kirsti, Director of Diversity, Equity & Belonging, alongside DEB Representative Peyton '27. Panelists Sanika, Mariella, Warren, and Stefan—representing first-, second-, and third-generation experiences—shared personal and family immigration st