abington friends school viewbook
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In a culture of intellectual and creative ambition, we expect our students to achieve great things. And they do.TRANSCRIPT
Abington Friends School
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“ AFS is a school that recognizes each student as an
individual and stretches them to the limits of their abilities,
while still helping them grow as creative and social
members of the world they inhabit.”
— AFS Parent
T H E A F ST H E A F S
school of thought
In a culture of intellectual and creative
ambition, we expect our students to
achieve great things. And they do. What
sets us apart is that this high-achievement
environment is also a joyful, spirited place.
At AFS we know and appreciate our students
for who they are, and we skillfully guide
them with a vision for who they may become.
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WE MAKE TIME FOR MEANING & REFLECTION.
Why it matters | The ability to think clearly, to take time to refl ect
and discern the meaning of information, is essential in a world where
vast stores of knowledge and data are just a click away. Making sense
of new information, especially from multiple perspectives, and being
able to collaborate and communicate that meaning to others are
foundational skills.
How we do it | The valuable lesson of refl ection is threaded into
our students’ experience through collaborative decision-making and
Quaker Meeting for Worship, a practice at the center of Quaker life
and also a part of our school week. Graduates often remark on their
ability to sit in silence and take the time to think things through,
to be thoughtful, not reactive, and to speak only when their voice
will improve the dialogue.
WE ARE DIVERSE & RELEVANT.
Why it matters | Tomorrow’s leaders must be able to explore
ideas in creative ways that spark new thinking and new possibilities.
They will have to orchestrate multiple points of view and effectively
synthesize information in a rapidly changing global environment.
How we do it | Our curriculum is designed to teach students to
navigate and embrace opportunity in a resource-rich, entrepreneurial
world. Our school community refl ects the world at large and is a
rich context for learning and friendship. As one parent said, “AFS
understands diversity to be a cornerstone for a strong, well-rounded
whole education.”
“ This is an environment where welcoming and
celebrating diversity is not just preached, it is lived
and practiced every day.”
— AFS Parent
this is our school of thought ...
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WE DEVELOP EACH STUDENT’S VOICE.
Why it matters | Research tells us that children who can express their passions at
an early age are more likely to thrive in their adult lives and careers.
How we do it | The AFS experience educates for initiative, clarity of thinking,
engagement and leadership through several signature programs that allow students
to fi nd and build their voice, their passions and their talents from an early age. In
Lower School the curriculum is guided by the children’s interests and develops in
exciting, often unexpected ways. By Middle School, students are ready to embark on
extended, self-directed research, culminating in the Eighth Grade Independent Study
project. In Upper School, programs like our signature ECCO (Exploring, Connecting,
and Committing to Opportunities) program help students discover their passions and
connect them to opportunities beyond our walls to deepen and extend their interests.
WE TEACH WITH INTENTION.
Why it matters | To help a student achieve all they are capable of, you must value
the individual student before you.
How we do it | Everything we do stems from our commitment to appreciating
children and young adults fully for who they are, with a vision for who they may
become and the expertise to help them get there. Our exceptional faculty skillfully
guides each student to be the best learner and contributor he or she can be. AFS
teachers know their students well – they know their strengths, their weaknesses and
their potential. They know how to motivate each student to defi ne his or her goals
and gain the capacities needed to accomplish those goals. When a student here has
a dream, we have teachers willing and able to help develop that vision.
WE BUILD STRONG ROOTS & DEEP RELATIONSHIPS.
Why it matters | The ability to connect deeply with others is not just a source
of happiness and contentment in life, it is an increasingly necessary skill in our world.
We need not just logic, but empathy. From this, comes authentic support
and, best of all, inspiration.
How we do it | More than a school, AFS is an active citizen in the larger world
and a place where teachers befriend students and their families. Our students grow
deep roots and strong relationships because AFS is a happy, healthy and inspiring
place to be.
“ Students expect that their work will be meaningful and that they will
play an active role in that work.”
— AFS Teacher
D E E P L E A R N I N G ,
true learning
At AFS, true learning goes well beyond
gaining profi ciency at the tasks of academic
work. It is about engaging the thinking and
assumptions that underlie our everyday
understanding of the world around us.
We intentionally develop in students an
authentic desire to learn, to frame questions,
to pursue answers, to think independently,
to lead, to explore and to create.
Here, in a program that is intellectually alive,
deep learning builds as students grow from
early childhood to young adulthood.
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L O W E R S C H O O L (age 3 to 4th Grade)
Our child-centered Lower School program builds on the excitement and
curiosity that our young students bring to their school experience. As
children join the Abington Friends community in Lower School, they enter
the world of creek walks and peace tables, mold symposiums and outdoor
classrooms, poetry night and reading breakfasts.
Skilled teachers provide a high level of challenge in a program designed
to guide and inspire children. In our specially designed Early Childhood
program for children 3 years old through Kindergarten, our youngest
students develop their sense of independence and their social skills.
Through hands-on, interdisciplinary activities, students in Lower School
are immersed in carefully planned projects that teach them to research,
experiment and solve problems. Through the timeless and vital institution
of free play, our children develop sensitivity and respect and learn to live
peacefully and joyfully within a community.
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To truly develop new ideas takes extended exploration, speculation, testing and refi nement – whether that means
three-year-olds tracking tree growth over the course of a year or developing exceptionally strong young writers
through habits of intensive refl ection and revision.
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Learning happens when we fi nd ourselves compelled to explore, to make meaning, to fi gure out. Engaging
questions are the norm here, whether it’s our youngest students starting their year by asking, “What is
a question?” or 7th and 8th graders in our math program posing questions that go beyond arithmetic to
a true exploration of practical application.
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M I D D L E S C H O O L (5th to 8th Grade)
Middle schoolers navigate a fascinating period of development as they
move through adolescence, evolving from concrete to abstract thinkers and
growing daily in independence. Our Middle School is staffed by a group
of talented educators dedicated to guiding students and families through
this sea of change. Students learn to assume more responsibility, take risks,
tackle academic challenges, engage with the world and take initiative in a
joyful, dynamic and supportive environment. The capstone of our Middle
School program is the Eighth Grade Independent Study. EGIS projects
challenge students – over the course of a year – to give voice to an area of
emerging interest. Whether they are making a fi lm about human rights or
studying Roman battle strategies, students reveal the passionate, thoughtful
voice that results from supported exploration and academic risk-taking.
Students leave Middle School well prepared for the challenges of an
ambitious Upper School curriculum.
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U P P E R S C H O O L (9th to 12th Grade)
We prepare students exceptionally well for college and success in the
contemporary world, developing in them the skills, capabilities and values
they will need to lead fulfi lling lives. Upper School students enjoy small
school intimacy combined with a broad landscape of opportunity on and
off campus. Through an extraordinary range of activities and choices, we
encourage students to participate on many levels and engage fully in an
exciting four-year journey of self-discovery and expression. A comprehensive
advising program and an off-campus Senior Independent Project help
Upper Schoolers discover and connect with their personal interests and
passions. In classrooms our talented faculty lead students through a well-
designed curriculum where quality of discourse is the key focus, assumptions
are effectively challenged, ideas are sharpened and multiple perspective is
always engaged. When our students graduate, they have learned how to
produce sophisticated work, how to have meaningful relationships and
how to take full advantage of the resources around them.
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“ The teachers, programs,
and friends here are amazing.
I couldn’t imagine being happier at another
school.”
– Upper School Student
Great teaching is at the heart of true learning. AFS fully supports a faculty training and professional development
model that puts our teachers and administrators on the national stage as leaders in educational philosophy and practice.
“ Through music I aim to provide a window to the world that
allows students to see and experience ways in which they can be
successful, creative, confi dent, part of a team and risk takers for
life ... always eager to wrap their mind around the next challenge
ahead of them.”
— AFS Middle School Music Teacher
A D Y N A M I C
school campus
AFS has been on the same beautiful
acreage for over 300 years. Throughout
our long history we have consistently
responded to the times we live in by
creating the most relevant experience for
our students. Today, our dynamic teaching
and learning environment includes the fi rst
interdisciplinary outdoor classroom in the
state, new engineering, robotics and design
labs, a multi-racial classroom pedagogy forged
through a partnership with the University of
Pennsylvania, and so much more.
Beautiful, Historic, Innovative Campus | Lower, Middle and
Upper School buildings and athletic facilities at the center of our
Campus. A verdant 50 acres including a creek, meadow, historic
Quaker Meetinghouse and extensive playing fi elds.
Wilf Center | A new type of learning center provides resources
to enrich skills of active engagement, discernment, collaboration,
leadership and continual learning. The Wilf Center is part of a
suite of advising resources, which includes our Director of Studies,
College Counseling, Faulkner Library and ECCO. Our
multidimensional approach to advising was commended by
The Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools.
Media and Design Lab | Computer Assisted Design and
engineering software workstations for students in our new
engineering electives, an AFS News Show studio and space
for our competitive robotics team.
AFS Outside Classrooms | The fi rst nature playground and outdoor
classroom in Pennsylvania to be accredited by the National Arbor Day
Foundation. A standard-setting program and dynamic leadership for
outdoor learning.
Faulkner Library | A modern, dramatic space alive with student
learning and collaboration. Home to a collection of over 25,000
print volumes, special collections including a peace collection and
a leadership collection, subscriptions to a host of online tools for
students including elibrary, JSTOR and ACCESS PA.
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“ The teachers, programs and friends here are amazing.
I couldn’t imagine being happier at another school.”
— Upper School Student
A N E N G A G I N G
fi fty acres
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AFS has a long tradition of award-winning theatre, music and visual
arts. Students study art history as well as work across a comprehensive
range of traditional media and new media such as digital video and
computer graphics. We celebrate student work with fully produced
theatre productions, concerts, art displays and formal art exhibitions.
Lower School Music Room | Designed for music and movement
education with a hardwood classroom fl oor, beautiful panoramic
views of the AFS campus, a full ensemble of Orff and percussion
instruments, SMART Board and an 88-key weighted digital piano/
music workstation.
Th e Josephine Muller Auditorium | A fully equipped professional
setting that seats 400, and includes a tech booth, lighting catwalks,
a large backstage area, dressing rooms, a prop/costume shop and
green room, a sound system with mixing console and a suspended
microphone system with surround-sound speakers.
Art, Ceramics, Photography Studios | Four well-lit studios feature
SMART Boards with overhead data projectors, multiple potter’s
wheels, fi ve kilns and a photography classroom with powerful design
software, a dark room/lab and 13 enlarging stations.
Black Box Studio Th eatre | A fl exible theatre space ideal for student
produced performances, cabarets and open mic nights.
Electronic Music Studio | Apple and Roland recording software/
hardware, 10 Korg X5 synthesizer keyboards and Sibelius music
notation software, ACID Pro sound looping and Sound Forge digital
editing software to enhance the Digital Audio curriculum.
Choral and Instrumental Music Classrooms | Baby grand
pianos, A/V equipment and an instrumental backline that includes
timpani, vibraphone, xylophone, marimbas, acoustic and electric
drum kits, concert bass drum, various cymbals, keyboards and
guitar/bass amplifi ers.
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A R E P U T A T I O N
in the arts
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AFS has 49 interscholastic teams in 20 sports at the middle and upper school levels
and a Lower School afterschool athletic program. Interscholastic sports begin in
Middle School with student-athletes developing their individual talents while
experiencing with their teammates the winning and losing that comes with
competition. Our Upper School program welcomes both novice players and those at
the highest levels of skill with a desire to continue their competitive athletic experience
in college. Since the founding of the Friends Schools League in 1982, AFS has
won 31 Varsity team championships.
Th ode Fitness Center | The home for many of AFS’s instructional Personal Fitness
programs and the School’s strength and conditioning and athletic rehabilitation
programs. AFS’s strength and conditioning coordinator and the School’s certifi ed
athletic trainer make use of the center daily throughout the year while training and
rehabilitating student-athletes.
Hallowell Gymnasium | Renovated in 2011 and the site of 19 Friends Schools
League championship boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.
Four Soccer Fields | Highlighted by the Varsity soccer fi eld, which boasts a
90,000-square-foot Kentucky bluegrass playing surface with state-of-the-art
irrigation and drainage systems and a 14-by-6-foot pivoting wireless scoreboard.
Six Tennis Courts | Recently renovated courts have Plexipave playing surface
and color scheme found at the nation’s top tournament courts.
Varsity Baseball & Softball Diamonds | Home to 16 Friends Schools League
playoff teams since 2003, including the 2011 girls’ state softball champions.
“ Everything I’ve learned, the very person I have become, has been shaped by
AFS. I did Model UN, was the yearbook editor, peer tutored, participated in
various math and science activities and played three Varsity sports, one of
which I captained.”
— AFS Graduate Class of 2008
F R I E N D S A N D
champions
C O L L E G E R E A D Y,
world ready
More than ever before the world is an open
road and there is no longer a predictable
route to success. We celebrate this world in
which opportunities abound. We also know
that success requires knowledge, creativity,
initiative and the ability to inspire others
like never before.
The AFS curriculum and experience hones
skills and orients our students toward high-
quality work so they are not only college
ready, but also world ready. They leave high
school ready to collaborate with and motivate
others in meaningful and profound ways.
AFS graduates truly “let their lives speak.”
“ AFS is intentional, mindful and daring in approaching all aspects
of what it means to be human – the intellectual, the emotional, the
social and the spiritual. It’s an education and experience built to make
each child the best he or she can be.”
— AFS Parent
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GENESIS FELIZ ’11
Bryn Mawr College
Genesis Feliz is a biology major, Spanish minor and environmental
studies minor at Bryn Mawr College. She plans on going to veterinary
school after graduation.
“ I felt really prepared going into college. I knew that there was going
to be a lot of reading and writing and I knew how to handle it. My four
years at AFS helped me become comfortable with reading 40-plus pages
a night or writing a seven- to 10-page research paper, much like what
is expected in college. Taking on many leadership roles at AFS, such as
participating in SDLC (Student Diversity Leadership Conference) my
junior and senior years, being a Varsity soccer and track captain and
the president of the Latino Affi nity Group also helped me hone
my leadership qualities.”
STEVE PETTIT ’10
Drexel University
Steve Pettit is a junior at Drexel University majoring in digital media with a
concentration in animation for video games and fi lm. His plan after graduation
is to work as an animator and rigger for a video game studio and “get out into
the world and do what I love to do – make games.”
“ AFS gave me everything I needed for college. I am able to write, research,
calculate and think. On top of that I am able to easily express myself in
class. Going into heavy studio and lab structured classes in college,
I can manage how much time each project will take, making sure that
it pushes my boundaries without becoming too large to handle. More
than all of this, I know AFS made me a strong and kind enough person
that it should not be too hard to fi nd myself a place in the world.”
C O L L E G E R E A D Y
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MARYROSE MYRTETUS ’05
Maryrose Myrtetus has always had a civic-minded orientation. At AFS,
she served on the Community Service Council and found herself loving
the work. At Vassar College she was class president and interned for
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter. Now she is Assistant to the Chief of Staff
for U.S. Senator Tom Carper in Washington, D.C. She says AFS taught
her to think and listen to others before reacting, and that serves her well
in a high-stress position when she is trying to do many things at once.
“ I am so grateful to AFS for giving me the self-confi dence to go
ahead and apply to Vassar and the White House internship.”
MAT JOHNSON ’89
Mat Johnson is the author of the novels Pym, Drop and Hunting in Harlem, the
nonfi ction novella The Great Negro Plot and the comic books Incognegro and
Dark Rain. He is also a recipient of the United States Artists James Baldwin
Fellowship, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, a Barnes & Noble Discover
Great New Writers selection and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature and is
a faculty member at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.
“ The thing I got most out of at AFS was the one-on-one relationships
with teachers...I came out feeling empowered.”
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“ There are many schools in our area with excellent academic
programs. AFS stands out for the depth of the curriculum
and the style of teaching.”
— AFS parent
A P L A C E
for you
City families, suburban families. Students from
public schools, parochial schools and other
independent schools. Single-parent families.
Same-sex parent families. Traditional families.
Students who are only children. Students with
lots of siblings. Every family is different but some
things they have in common – parents all want
an intellectually exciting education for their sons
and daughters. They want their children to feel
connected to something bigger than themselves.
They want them to be appreciative of the world
around them. They want them to feel supported
as they go through life. They want them to be
the kind of people who bring others along in
life’s journey as well. They fi nd that education
at Abington Friends School.
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ELIZABETH ’12, TOM (JUNIOR), MATT AND AUDRA GURIN
Fort Washington, PA
“ The greatest advantages my children have as a result of attending AFS are
self-confi dence and self-awareness. They no doubt could have had academic
success anywhere. However, because of AFS they push themselves to develop
their strengths and to compensate for their weaknesses. They value diversity
in themselves and in others, and they seek out new understandings and new
experiences. AFS also nurtures the importance of being a member of society
and the world beyond the campus.
As our daughter looked at colleges she carried that value for community and
caring for the world, and it strongly infl uenced her decisions. In the end she
chose Brown because it fi t her balanced need for academic excellence, passion
and community that AFS helped to foster.”
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AVA (4TH GRADE), BRODERICKAND CHRISTINE PRESIDENT
Elkins Park, PA
“ For us, academics are huge and so is building a good person – a child you
can really be proud of. The students here absolutely love to learn. It’s
effortless because the learning experience is woven into everything they do.
I didn’t even know my daughter knew about watersheds but this weekend,
she was weaving them into our dinner table discussion. She reads three or
four books a week. I don’t take credit for that. It’s all AFS.
Learning is turned on at an early age here and each year it’s ramped up.
Add to that the level of maturity these kids have – it impresses us. AFS
students have an ability to hold a conversation with an adult. They are
confi dent without being arrogant, and they are critically constructive
thinkers. They don’t accept everything at face value. When I drop Ava
off I don’t look back. I have such a feeling that she will be nurtured,
happy, engaged and secure.”
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DAVID LASSER (2ND GRADE),
BERNIE TELLNER AND ROBERT LASSER
Pineville, PA
“ We live in Bucks County, which speaks to the draw of AFS among the large
number and variety of independent schools in the area. For us, AFS had a warmth
of spirit and focus on our child’s overall development that was important. We
especially love AFS’s focus on the community and weaving parent-led events into
the social and seasonal fabric of the educational experience.
Education is far more than academic skills; AFS is also focused on equipping
children with knowledge of how to navigate social relationships and lead by
personal example. These qualities ultimately help develop tomorrow’s leaders
to be well-balanced in understanding cultural differences and working through
these differences to solve global problems.
The great advantage an AFS graduate has is being confi dent about embracing the
world and not shying away from realizing their independent thinking and spirit.”
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A T A G L A N C E
Serving students
age 3 through grade 12.
Quaker values include
diversity, equality, integrity,
simplicity, peacefulness and
stewardship, and are at the core of
the School’s mission and daily life.
100% of students attend
a 4-year college.
Students come to AFS from
approximately 75 ZIP codesin the greater Philadelphia area.
AFS is easily accessible
via many forms of public
transportation, van service as well
as school district busing.
50-acre campus with fi elds,
a creek and a Quaker Meetinghouse
Well-equipped arts wing with digital recording studio,
darkroom and ceramics studios
and MIDI lab for composing.
35% of students self-identify
as students of color.
Graduating classes of
60 to 80 students
Honors and AP courses
are offered in all subjects.
49 athletic teams,31 Friends League Championships
O U R I N V I T A T I O N
to visitAt Abington Friends School, we believe in more than the
traditional goal of preparing children for the next step in their
schooling. We prepare our students not only for outstanding
college careers, we ready them for lives of purpose, meaning
and accomplishment.
To learn more about Abington Friends School, we invite you to
visit us and to imagine your son or daughter here – engaged in
the excitement of true learning every day.
Visit our website at www.abingtonfriends.net or request
information by contacting the Admission Offi ce at 215-576-3984
For a fi rsthand look at our campus, and to meet our students,
teachers and staff , come visit us. Open houses are off ered
throughout the year in the fall, winter and spring.
Abington Friends School is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and
anti-harassment in all aspects of our members’ actions and relationships on any
basis including but not limited to race, religion, ancestry, color, age, gender,
sexual orientation, familial status, disability, veteran status or national origin.
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Abington Friends School575 Washington Lane, Jenkintown, PA 19046
p: 215-886-4350 / f: 215-886-9143
www.abingtonfriends.net