Middle School

Friends School’s mission today…and in the future

by Jenefer Donovan, Friends School Community Board Chair

The new school year is now well underway and off to a great start! From day one I have been overwhelmed by the multitude of ways in which I have witnessed all the elements of Friends School’s mission in action…I have felt the energy and excitement of a dynamic community reuniting and reaching out to support one another and welcome our new families; I have been amazed by the wealth of team-building, collaborative projects and hands-on academic activities taking place in classrooms and I have been touched by the kindness of children connecting and helping others transition. I have felt the renewed energy of our wonderful teachers and met enthusiastic teacher candidates. I have admired the creative process of an elementary all-school collaborative art project and overheard middle schoolers display their passion for learning in eagerly asking when their full schedule would start! I have noticed the time taken in every grade for students to reflect on and share about themselves and listen to their peers, and for teachers and students to all get to know each other again; and I have seen the 5th graders already stepping up as leaders showing compassion and empathy for the new Kindergarteners helping them to feel safe, welcome and at home at Friends School. 

These are just a few examples of the elements of the Friends School mission being put into practice, and all of this was in just the first week!

Before Honor started at Friends School, she began looking at everything here through the lens of the school’s mission and vision. One of her priorities in her first year was to “align decision-making practices with the mission and vision of the school”. She worked to bring Friends School’s mission and vision into everyday decision-making, keeping them front and center, putting children and mission first and consistently using the mission and vision to guide her and her leadership team. She encouraged all teachers and staff to do the same. Honor has also brought the 3 core principles of the vision to the forefront: ‘challenging minds, nurturing spirits and honoring individuality’. These provide the framework for all that the school does and, as you know, they have been chosen as the theme for the school this year.

In early September, the Friends School Community Board met for the first time this school year. I would like to thank all of our dedicated trustees for their hard work and commitment to the school. Over the summer the board read First Do No Harm, Progressive Education in a Time of Existential Risk by Steve Nelson and was inspired by his demonstration of “how education can nurture engaged and motivated children who actively discover their world and grow up to be good citizens”. Friends School has been the leader among Boulder schools in social and emotional education for over 32 years and we were proud to appreciate, while reading this book, that Friends School excels on every aspect of Nelson’s ‘Educational Bill of Rights’:

• Recognize the broad consensus that early childhood education should be primarily dedicated to free, imaginative play;
• Provide arts programming, recognizing that the arts are critical to all learning and to understanding the human experience;
• Provide ample physical movement, both in physical education classes and in other ways, recognizing that exercise enhances learning for all children;
• Exhibit awareness that children develop at different rates and different ways; that strict age or grade level standards and expectations are meaningless and damaging;
• Acknowledge the large body of evidence that long hours of homework are unnecessary and detract from children’s (and families’) quality of life;
• Exhibit genuine respect for all children;
• Honor a wide range of personalities and temperaments;
• Encourage curiosity, risk-taking and creativity;
• Cultivate and sustain intrinsic motivation rather than relying on elaborate extrinsic systems of rewards and punishments;
• Understand that brain research supports active learning, engaging all the senses;
• Understand that all children are intelligent in multiple ways and that all these intelligences should be honored and developed;
• Listen to each child’s voice, give them real experience in democratic processes, and allow them to express their individuality;
• Know each child well, appreciate the unique mix of qualities each child brings, and never demean, discourage or humiliate any child.

This year, Friends School Community Board has the important responsibility of creating the next strategic framework/plan for the school. Each of our board meetings throughout the year will include a strategic thinking work session. As we move through the process we will first examine our mission and vision, our “North Star”, guiding us through the journey of creation and implementation of the framework/plan. We will then gather input and data from the entire Friends School Community  – teachers, staff, students, parents, families, trustees, founders, alumni parents and alumni students, before synthesizing and processing the data and formulating a strategic, flexible, forward-thinking framework/plan for Friends School. 

I am looking forward to working on this process with the Friends School Community Board and our Strategic Planning Committee, led by alumni parent and trustee Anne Hunter. I am also excited to hear from all of you. Over the next few months the Strategic Planning Committee will reach out to all of you with various opportunities for you to provide your input – these could be surveys, small group vision meetings, or larger ‘dream-catcher’ meetings. We hope that you will participate in whichever ways work for you. Friends School is one of Boulder’s best independent schools because it has a strong community that cares.

Thank you all for being part of what makes Friends School such a special place for all our children.

Jenefer Donovan, Friends School Community Board Chair

If you would like more information on the role of the Friends School Community Board or are interested in being part of one of the Community Board committees, please email me at jenefer144@yahoo.com.

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Challenging Minds, Nurturing Spirits, Honoring Individuality as we start a new school year at Friends School

Introduction by Jenefer Donovan, Friends School Board Chair with excerpts from our division directors (Jessie Vanden Hogen, Mandy Stepanovsky and Shelby Pawlina)

The first weeks of school are an exciting time of building the wonderful community and norms that carry us through the school year and for which Friends School is known. Across the school from Preschool, through the elementary and middle school years and into the Teacher Preparation Program, Friends School is already challenging minds, nurturing spirits and honoring individuality. We invite you to read these back-to-school updates from our program directors.

PRESCHOOL NEWS UPDATE (& Parent Reading Recommendations for all ages)

The Preschool is off to a great start in co-creating our new communities. We had a great New Parent Orientation, delightful day of Class Lemonades, and welcoming Home Visits. Included in this new batch of morning preschool families are some old friends and some new friends. We are growing connections and building trust with parents and children as we set out to create a very gentle, supportive and successful first school experience for the littlest ones. We take our jobs very seriously as we know the dynamics of the gifts and challenges in beginning the journey of separation.

With Head of School Honor Taft’s 4 trail-markers in mind – 1) Social and Emotional Literacy, 2) Creativity, Collaboration and Communication, 3) Rich Academics, and 4) Diversity, Social Justice and Service Learning – the preschool team picked up a few books for our summer reading. NOTE: Some books and authors definitely challenged our thinking and beliefs as well as gave us new perspectives! Our ongoing commitment to professional education and best practices is part of what we believe makes us the best preschool in Boulder.

• Being at Your Best When Your Kids are at Their Worst – Practical Compassion in Parenting By Kim John Payne

• From Teaching to Thinking By Ann Pelo and Margie Carter

• Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers By Dr. Gabor Mate´
• It’s Ok Not to Share and Other Renegade rules for Raising Competent and Compassionate Kids By Heather Shumaker 
• StoryMaking – The Maker Movement Approach to Literacy for Early Learners By Michelle Kay Compton and Robin Chappele Thompson

What we came away with were some themes to work with throughout the year ahead:  Empathy – Boundaries – Community – Play

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS UPDATE

“It looks so open in here!” “The school feels wonderful” “Everything is so light and bright.” These are just a few of the accolades heard as parents entered the elementary school for the first time this school year. It was a busy summer with painting, purging and preparing for students to arrive. The energy in the building has been full of anticipation and excitement for the year ahead. We have only been in school for a short time, but there is already much to celebrate.

We are already challenging minds through:

• Assignments and projects focused on celebrating our summer vacations and setting goals for the year ahead.

• 4th and 5th grade Invention Convention projects
• Implementation of the new math curriculum
• Benchmark testing in literacy and math
• Teacher participation in a day-long Design Thinking workshop with Future Design School that prepared them to bring design thinking into their classrooms this year.

We nurture spirits through:

• Welcoming our new Kindergarten friends and their families to the community, and new friends in other grades too.

• Implementation of Responsive Classroom practices in our K/1 classrooms after teachers participated in a week-long training. With the new implementation of full-day Kindergarten throughout Colorado, we continue to be the most intentional, nurturing, and best Kindergarten in Boulder.
• Time taken in each classroom to set class norms, create class constitutions and engage students in creating the type of learning environment they would like to have.
• Start of the 8 week parent Mindfulness workshop

We are honoring individuality through:

• The creation of a “cool down” space in the old copy room.  This is a place where students can go to quietly draw, or jump on a trampoline when they need a moment to reset during the school day.

• Projects and assignments aimed at sharing individual interests/experiences as students get to know each other at the start of the school year.
• The creation of learning plans to further differentiate learning for students who need specific accommodations across subject areas.
• The exploration and celebration of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences in 3rd Grade

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS UPDATE

The middle school has grown by over 50% this year, and the energy in the building is exciting and inspiring! This incredible growth is a great demonstration of the need for a new, more progressive Boulder Middle School option.

Challenging Minds

• Summer book discussions – Each grade had a book to read over the summer that Diane chose specifically for its appeal to middle schoolers. One parent of an 8th grader reported that her child LOVED the book so much…a first for him! Each class discussed their opinions of the book, character development, plot, and other aspects of the book. It was a nice way to begin an academic conversation while getting to know one another.
• Problem- solving activities – Remember the game of Mastermind with the colorful pegs? At the middle school there is a similar game that we play…Pico-Firme-Bago in which students have to guess a set of numbers in a particular order while being given feedback of the accuracy of their guesses. The cheers that come from the homeroom when the correct number is finally guessed/ revealed are always enthusiastic. On a physical level, the popular camp game Human Knot got students problem-solving in a different way. Nuno led good reflective sessions on the process, connecting this to group work and problem-solving in general. 

Nurturing Spirits 

• Camping Trip to Rocky Mountain National Park -Temple Grandin has discussed the importance of leveraging the skills of visual learners and making sure our children learn the basics of cooking, shopping, and fixing things- engaging in hands-on learning as much as possible. Our trips program is underpinned by these expectations. In the days before the trip, students developed the menu for the trip, went grocery shopping for the ingredients (comparing products, figuring out amounts, and managing a budget), and learned how to set up/ dismantle the tents independently. On the trip, every student had an opportunity to be on a cook team and clean up team. For some students, these were first time events. There is something about doing things that expand our comfort zones that builds a greater and more nuanced sense of self, increased self-awareness and self-advocacy. In middle school, this is what we are going for.

Honoring Individuality

• All About Me – One of our first central activities is the “All About Me” assignment that culminates in a Gallery Walk before the camping trip. Each student creates a poster of their design and presentation that includes information about each person’s personal heroes, favorite books, important event in their lives, etc. These are great ways to get to know one another as well as serving as jumping in points for teachers to connect curriculum with student experiences. These will decorate the homeroom and hallways.

The school year is off to an incredible start, and we can’t wait for a full year of challenging minds, nurturing spirits, and honoring individuality in this incredible school community.

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8th Grader Profile: Anastasia Hook

Friends School’s first 8th grade class will be graduating in May. As they look towards high school, Honor has taken the opportunity to interview each of them to find out about their time at Friends School, whether they are “lifers” (here since Preschool) or brand new to Friends School. Please enjoy this interview of Anastasia Hook, at Friends School since 6th grade.

Name:  Anastasia Hook

What grade are you in and how long have you been at Friends School?

I am in 8^thgrade and I have been at Friends School for three years – since the beginning of 6^thgrade, so all of middle school. Before this I went to Community Montessori.

This is a much smaller school than Community Montessori was. The teachers really have time to work with me one-on-one and go through things in a lot of detail to make sure you really understand things.

How old are you? 

I am 14 years old.

Share a memory from a ceremony or trip. Tell me about the experience and what it meant to you.

Last year in Moab all the girls were in one room and we stayed up until about 1:00am talking about all kinds of stuff. We were sad that the year was ending and, even though we would be together again the next year, we were sad it was ending. And Kevin was downstairs and he heard all of our secrets. We were both embarrassed and we thought it was funny. We were laughing and covering our faces when we found out.

Tell me about a project or class that stands out and/or inspired you.

Science really inspires me. Kevin is one of the greatest teachers ever. He has us do really creative and interesting projects. Also, if we are struggling he gives us really inspirational talks. Pretty recently, for example, he gave us a talk about what it will be like when we go to high school. He said there will be the chance for a lot of parties and things, but we should always remember to put our school work first. We need to do this because getting a strong GPA from the start is easier than bringing it up if you start off with lower grades. I had no idea about this before.

What will you take from your experience here into your future?

Friendship. I worked on being friends with people. At CM making friends depended on how we acted. Here, because it is so small, we really only had each other. We might not have been friends in another setting, but this taught me to expand the kinds of friends I have. I know that I can be friends with people even if it doesn’t seem like I can.

Tell me about a person from Friends that stands out and/or inspired you.

Kevin. He has taught us so much in science and otherwise. Also, my friend Ali who gives me a lot of inspiration to try things I wouldn’t try otherwise. She helps to push me out of my comfort zone. And all of my friends here who help me to be the best version of myself.

Do you have advice for future Friends students?

There will be a point some time in life – I don’t know when – when you will feel like what you’re doing doesn’t really matter, or that your grades aren’t important. Even if it is unimportant to you, it is important to someone else, so just work on it and get it done. Also, take every opportunity to do more – if there is extra credit work you can do, do it!

Do you have any advice for me, things to change/things not to change?

Be a friend to the people in the school – being a friend may be more important than being a head of school.

Do you know where you will go to High School?

New Vista – I am so excited. I am ready for a bigger environment, making new friends and having new experiences.

The following questions were asked of Anastasia by first grade students Johnny and Olive, who were acting as junior heads of school for the day:

Johnny – what is your favorite sport?

I’m not really a sports fan, but if I had to choose, I would go for running or volleyball.

Olive – What is something in your life that you would want to go back and change?

Nothing, because if you change something, then you wouldn’t be where you are. I am glad for the experiences I’ve had, the mistakes I’ve made and the people I know. I wouldn’t change anything.

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8th Grader Profile: Tori Schell

Friends School’s first 8th grade class will be graduating in May. As they look towards high school, Honor has taken the opportunity to interview each of them to find out about their time at Friends School, whether they are “lifers” (here since Preschool) or brand new to Friends School. Please enjoy this interview of Tori School, at Friends School since 3rd grade.

Name: Tori Schell

What grade are you in?  8th.

How old are you? – 15 years old. My birthday is February 17.  I have been at Friends School since third grade. Before that I was in a Montessori school, and before that I was in SC at a school called St. Matthews.

Tell me about a person from Friends that stands out and/or inspired you. Diane Bramble inspired me in so many ways. She is the person who taught me to read which is so incredibly special. Diane has been there from the beginning. She will talk with me about absolutely anything and she always listens to me, too. I know that Diane always has my back. 

When did you feel like Friends School was the place for you? For me, this happened on my first day of school. I started a couple of days late, because I was on a trip or something. So it was a few days into the school year in Diane’s class and things had already gotten started. Also, many of the kids already knew each other from second grade. So I was a little nervous. I walked in and there was no one in the room. All I saw was Diane sitting there quietly and I was really confused. I walked in and then, to my surprise, everyone jumped out from behind bookcases and couches and surprised me! I felt welcomed and excited and I knew then that this was the place for me. 

Share a memory from a ceremony or trip. Tell me about the experience and what it meant to you.

We were just talking about a memory today – when we went rafting.  I got teary-eyed – there have been so many fun times. Every memory I have of a trip or ceremony has been special to me in different ways. I can’t really choose a favorite because I loved them all.

One memory that shows how caring everyone is takes me back to Grade 5 when we were coming back from our trip. I had gotten very sick and still wasn’t feeling well on the bus. To make things worse, we had completely run out of tissues. My teacher, Liz, got the bus driver to go to Target and everyone was encouraging her to get the best tissues for me. She returned to the bus with a big box of tissues and I slept in the back of the bus for the rest of the ride feeling supported and cared about by my teachers and friends. 

What was it like being a part of starting the middle school

It was really fun, I have to say. There have been times when we’ve had to be flexible and go with the flow, but we are such a connected class and it really feels like we are a part of something special. Whenever we say, “do we have to…?” Kevin always says, “no, you get to…!” After hearing that for three years, I think it’s finally starting to sink in.

Do you know where you will go to High School?

I am going to Monarch. I’m excited and a little bit nervous. Mostly, I’m nervous about getting lost. 

What will you take from your experience here into your future? There are a lot of lessons I have learned from being here. Especially in the middle school. I was shy and being here has really brought me out of my shell, and helped me believe in myself. I am still a perfectionist, but being here has taught me that it is okay to be a little less perfect. Learning this has been helpful because I now try new things and feel good about who I am.

Do you have advice for future Friends students? I think the advice I would give is to really connect with the people around you. Knowing that you have a community around you will really lift you up. I can’t say enough how grateful I am for my friends and the friendships I have. Bring your peers up and they will bring you up too.

What question haven’t I asked you that I should have?

What makes this school special? It is the community. It is really special and I am going to miss it a lot.

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Peace Angels Among Us

By Bryn Pennington, Friends School Art Teacher

Our middle school students love creating art. I love helping them develop their creative expression. When I can weave a larger world mission into an art studio project, it’s a plus for everyone. This week, our 6th graders had the chance to do both.

On March 18, the 6th grade students interviewed contemporary artist Lin Evola during their recent art studio project. Lin is the creator of Peace Angels, a creative project turned non-profit that began as her response to street violence in Los Angeles. When Lin learned of the LAPD gun collection program, she gained permission to melt down the collected weapons and transform them into symbols of peace. Her most famous works are the Renaissance Peace Angel housed in the permanent collection of the 9/11 Memorial Museumin New York City, and the Johannesburg “Spirit of Africa” sculpture unveiled by Desmond Tutu in 2003.

6th graders were invited to sculpt their own Peace Angels based on Lin’s words: “Before we can have peace in our world, we need to make peace in our home”. During this project, the 6th graders became curious about the artist and her process. They decided to interview her directly. They brainstormed rich questions, then made the call.

Rohan’s question was about her start as an artist. Lin was born an artist, painting and drawing early in her toddler years. By the end of high school, she was preparing for gallery shows in her hometown, Chicago.

Sadie next asked about her artistic inspiration. Art and life are the same for her, she mused, and art is her mode of expressing and exploring issues that call to her in our world.

Zahara inquired about her process and the time involved to make each artwork. Lin first “captures the lightning” by connecting with a concept. Next is the longest part of her process: researching and making drawings for an angel specific to a place or city. Depending on the size of the sculpture, assistants help her wield and sculpt the models, which range from 3’ to 11’ tall. After, she takes her sculpture to a foundry to be cast as metal from the molten weapons. This part of the process can take over 6 months.

Sadie asked what inspired Lin to first create the Renaissance Peace Angel. Lin began the first angel drawings in 1994, years before the 9/11 tragedy, as a “Renaissance of Humanity”. The sculpture stands for life and a reminder to lift each other up, rather than kill each other. She intended for it to be placed at the World Trade Center in New York, a place where people all over the world came to visit and work. Lin transported the Renaissance Angel to New York City in October 2001 as an act of gratitude for those working at Ground Zero. Over time, hundreds and hundreds of firefighters, police and workers signed their names and messages of thanks at the Angel’s base. Their words remain.

Aiyana asked why the peace angels are so big. Lin reflect that their scale really makes a different impression…more of an impact. Each is made from collected weapons and discarded nuclear casings, so the bigger the sculpture the more weapons are off of the streets. Lin’s current proposed project for a 64’ tall Angel, for example, would remove one million weapons from the world!

Henry asked what the Peace Angels represent to her, and why she choose angels. As an artist, Lin needed a symbol that could lift human beings up….one that could get “humanity beyond ourselves”. She also needed a symbol that could inspire, but still be relatable. So, she choose angels.

Zahara wanted to know how many angels Lin has made. Two Peace Angels have been installed so far, as well as many dozens of smaller models. For example, President Bill Clinton and Jordanian Queen Noor al Hussein each accepted smaller angel sculptures from Lin. Her next big projects include twelve 11’ Peace Angels throughout Los Angeles and three monumental sculptures in New York City, Los Angeles, and Silicon Valley.

Aiyana asked how much each sculpture costs and where she gets the money to make them. A family friend gifted Lin money for the initial foundry work on the Renaissance Peace Angel. She now funds all of her work through sales of art and jewelry. Some patrons purchase angel sculptures for $250,000, but most donations are small. Because so many people donate money toward the Peace Angels, Lin considers them a project by and for everyone.

The final question gave Lin some time to reflect. What was a recent accomplishment or struggle as an artist and what did she learn from it? For Lin, it was letting go of the Renaissance Peace Angel after it’s installation at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. She had spent over 30 years thinking about it, creating it, and then moving it and installing it at its new home. She likened it to raising her son and then sending him out into the world. With its installation at the Museum, Lin joined the few hundred living American artists whose work is part of a permanent collection. Feeling this accomplishment, Lin set the Renaissance Peace Angel free and can focus on new cities, angels and art.

As the interview ended, the 6th graders put on the finishing touches on their own clay angels…the wings. The spirit of Lin’s work and the sound of her voice resonated in the art studio. The final step was to bury a paper scroll inside each sculpture. On each scroll, students had written a “trouble” –  a regret, source of pain, or something they found it hard to forgive themselves for. As the angels are fired, the scrolls burn to ash. Whatever “trouble” kept students from finding peace is gone.

The Peace Angels project has a profound impact on our students. I hope they share their work with you and inspire you to spread more Peace Angels throughout our world. We’re honored to be doing our part at Friends School to bring Lin’s message of “holding up the light” to our community and beyond.

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8th Grader Profile: Avery Lidge

Friends School’s first 8th grade class will be graduating in May. As they look towards high school, Honor has taken the opportunity to interview each of them to find out about their time at Friends School, whether they are “lifers” (here since Preschool) or brand new to Friends School. Please enjoy this interview of Avery Lidge, at Friends School since 2nd grade.

Name: Avery

What grade are in?

8th. I have been here since second grade. This is my seventh year.

How old are you?

I am fourteen – my birthday is November 20th. 

Share a memory from a ceremony or trip. Tell me about the experience and what it meant to you. The first thing I think of is Moab, the most recent trip we went on in seventh grade. We went to a baseball field near where we were staying and we played “where is my chicken” and we were laughing so hard and rolling on the ground and having so much fun. It is a really great memory.

Also, in fifth grade our graduation ceremony stands out. I remember that the music teacher, Monica, told us that she would give us all a Hershey kiss if no one sang during my solo. We never did get those Hershey’s kisses…. But, for the record, no one did sing during my solo.

What is a life lesson that you learned at Friends School?I have definitely learned many ways to express myself – theater, music, science, so many different ways to see what I can do, which is really fun. I think being at Friends has helped me learn how to develop deep friendships. At Friends there is a lot of support for getting through difficult times. One time we all came together to help a friend who sprained his neck and had to go to the ER. It was really scary for us, and for him, but we all helped each other through that – and he was okay in the end.

Also, if and when we have arguments or disagreements, the teachers support us in communicating and finding a way through. 

What will you take from your experience here into your future? My work ethic and perseverance with assignments or things that happen. Just knowing that you can push through something and finding the courage and the ways that you can get through it.

Working hard and finding ways to work smarter, not necessarily harder.

Striving to do my best in everything I can while not devoting my life to school work only.

Tell me about a project or class that stands out and/or inspired you.Well, I can say that ever since I’ve had Kevin as my science teacher, I have been so passionate about science. One that stands out is the genetics project in seventh grade. The goal was to create and draw little creatures using Punnett squares showing why they had different colors, shapes or markings. It was really fun to do and I still have the poster I made. Mine was on squirrels – SCIURUS CANDENTIS – which means glowing squirrel.  

Tell me about a person from Friends that stands out and/or inspired you.

Diane has definitely inspired the literature side for me. I was not a great reader when I came to Friends in second grade and I had Diane for 2nd and 3rd grade and she really helped it all come together for me.

Another person is Steve de Beer who really inspired my acting. I really loved the 5th grade play where I played both the crazy cook who loves pepper and a sassy flower. I learned how much fun it could be to express myself on the stage as someone else or as myself and see how that felt. Now every summer I do theater camp.

How is Friends School different from your previous school?

It was definitely more relaxed and friendly feeling which felt good. It was a lot less pressure and I could be who I am.

Also, in my first grade I had to move around between many classes, which we do in middle school, but in elementary school I really liked to have a base that I came back to. It felt good to have a stabilizing space that I knew I could just be in.

Do you have advice for future Friends students? Oh gosh, that’s hard. “Never give up” is a good one. You should really never just stop doing things. And have fun with it! I was a stress ball in sixth grade. I had a tough time adjusting because I was stressed by everything. It’s not a giant transition unless you make it that. Try to find ways to balance and have fun.

Do you have any advice for me, things to change/things not to change?

I can’t think of anything – I think things are great the way they are.

Do you know where you will go to High School? 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice

It is possible that I will go to Dawson, but it is not decided just yet.

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8th Grader Profile: Ali Tenzer

Friends School’s first 8th grade class will be graduating in May. As they look towards high school, we’ve taken the opportunity to interview each of them to find out about their time at Friends School, whether they are “lifers” (here since Preschool) or brand new to Friends School. Please enjoy this interview of Ali Tenzer, one of Friends School’s lifers.

Name: Ali Tenzer

What grade are in?

8th grade

How old are you?

14 

Share a memory from a ceremony or trip. Tell me about the experience and what it meant to you.

When we went to South Dakota in sixth grade. The car ride might have been the most fun part – being with my friends and listening to music. Also in South Dakota, we sneaked up on Tanner and he screamed so loudly that everyone thought it was me!

What is a life lesson that you learned here? What will you take from your experience here into your future?

When I was at the elementary school I thought it would be a good idea to climb upside down and I fell on ice and rock. I think I learned that if I know something is not a good idea, I should listen to myself and not do it.

Tell me about a project or class that stands out and/or inspired you.

Doing labs in science stands out for me. One time we did a lab and we caused a gummy bear to explode. Another lab that was interesting was the “liver lab”. I think it was a cow liver and we were testing it in different solutions.

Tell me about a person from Friends that stands out and/or inspired you.

I think all of my friends right now. Everybody in this school teaches me new stuff every day. People expect teachers to teach you new things, but here I learn from everyone.

How has being at Friends School changed your view of the world? (from Charlotte)

If I had not come to this school, I would not know myself as a learner as well as I do now. I am very much a visual learner and the teachers here helped me know this and they help me learn in a way that uses my strengths.

Do you have advice for future Friends students?

I would tell them that school and learning is fun at Friends School. Be yourself if you come here and know that you will be accepted for who you are.

Do you have any advice for me, things to change/things not to change?

All that I would say is for you to observe our sixth graders when they come to the middle school. They don’t fully know each other yet and as they have transitioned from being the oldest to being the youngest in the building, it can be a little hard, I think. It takes time to build trust and, it took until second semester for my class to fully connect in 6th grade. If they really take the time to know one another, they will connect and get through the challenges of middle school.

Do you know where you will go to High School? 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice

First choice is New Vista, then Lyons, then Boulder High.

What are your passions? What makes you, you?

I am passionate about all kinds of nice cars. It gives me something to look forward to and work towards. If I could choose the car to buy right now it would probably be either Bugatti Chiron – looks amazing and the interior is beautiful. The details are unique and nobody actually knows its top speed.  Or a Lamborghini Centenario Roadster. The Lamborghini looks amazing and they are known for being comfortable and very fast.

What was it like being a part of starting the middle school

For me it was still a little bit scary to think about going into middle school, but once I started I learned that middle school isn’t scary at all – it is fun!

If you could wave a wand……

I don’t know. From my point of view everything here is great as it is.  

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Meet the Ambassadors!

By Melanie Leggett, Director of Admissions

From an Admissions standpoint, opening our Middle School has been quite a ride. I’ve had moments of glory, moments of adversity, and everything in between. From creating applications, to learning the details of a new program, to figuring out just what a middle school shadow day should look like, my job has never been boring. All along this road, a bright beacon of light has been seeing the Friends School mission and vision come to life in our middle school students, and seeing how 6^th, 7^th, and 8^thgraders thrive when they are challenged academically, and at the same nurtured and honored for who they are.

The most recent “mission moment” that I have had the honor of experiencing in our middle school has been working with Kevin, Shelby, and members of the enrollment committee to bring a student ambassador program to fruition. This program aims to formalize student involvement in our admissions process  by developing leadership skills and representing our school during tours, shadow days, prospective parent information meetings, and events.

Selfishly, having these ambassadors will make my job easier, because they are some seriously kind, bright, thoughtful, and engaging kids. Seeing the amount of time, effort, and care that each student put into the application process was one of the true highlights of my year. The process involved a paper application and an interview (a first for almost every applicant), and we were wowed by how much the applicants rose to the occasion. They were responsible, articulate, inspiring, sweet, and funny. I learned a lot from their answers – about them as people, and about our amazing school. 

In the end, the only challenge was that we wished we could choose every single student who applied. For this inaugural year, I’d like to present our student ambassadors:

7^thgrade– Makena McComb, Agi Willis, and Cedar Wine

8^thgrade– Audrey Adler, Charlotte Commons, Allison Hoeffler, Avery Lidge, and Tori Schell

As we kick off our training, I thought I would share a few excerpts from their applications with our greater community. Enjoy, and schedule a tour of our middle school someday soon to meet these rockstar students!

“I am not going to lie to you middle school is a lot harder than elementary school. It is a big step, but what helped me at Friends was how supportive everyone is. I think at Friends the teachers and students are always there for you in a way I think is really special and most middle schools don’t have the capacity to create that kind of environment.”

“At Friends, teachers not only teach in diverse ways so that every student can understand topics, they also help each student understand how they can learn best. I think this is a really important skill to have by the time you go to high school.”

 “I would begin to describe how the community at Friends is very trusting, accepting, and diverse. I would say that everyone is allowed to be who they are, and no one will judge them for that.”

 “I know that when I was coming to Friends I had no idea what to expect. This was very nerve-wracking. When I finally came relief flooded over me. I realized that the teachers were almost the nicest on the planet and seemed to somehow understand everything you were going through. This of course made coming to school very easy. I very quickly made friends and still enjoy every day.”

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8th Grader Profile: Charlotte Commons

Friends School’s first 8th grade class will be graduating in May. As they look towards high school, we’ve taken the opportunity to interview each of them to find out about their time at Friends School, whether they are “lifers” (here since Preschool) or brand new to Friends School. Please enjoy this interview of Charlotte Commons, one of Friends School’s lifers.

Name: Charlotte Commons

What grade are you in?

8th

How old are you?

14. I started here when I was 3.

What do you remember from preschool?

My first preschool teachers were Sherri and Christie. They were really nice. I had Christie for both years in preschool. One vivid memory that comes to mind is of Sheri collecting all of the hoodies that we had left around and stacking them on her head. In the spring when it was warm we would take the hose in the back yard and make a beach in the sand and play with beach toys there. We would also play inside the “spiderweb” and the teachers would rescue us. We also liked to play on the bikes – Allison (Hoeffler) and I would play a game called the dirty Olympics.

Share a memory from a ceremony or trip. Tell me about the experience and what it meant to you.

Two come to mind. After Silver and Gold in 4th grade we all ran off the stage, went into our classroom and changed all of the 4’s, where they referred to grade, to 5’s. After 5th grade we all went to a party at Allison’s house and there were food trucks and all kinds of things. It was probably the biggest party many of us had ever been to and it was so much fun to be there altogether. My favorite trip was to Crow Canyon in fifth grade. Instead of just relaxing, our entire class spent our free time filming this movie. It was really fun even though it was never finished because, well, the kid who was making it…his camera got run over by a car.

What is a life lesson that you learned here?

Probably to always be yourself and accept other people for being themselves. That is really cliché, but to not be afraid of being you. I think at Friends the community is so accepting and you learn that everything is truly better when people are themselves.

Tell me about a project or class that stands out and/or inspired you.

Middle school science has really inspired me. I liked science from the time I was really little, but we did not do as much of it as we do in Middle School. Now we do so many cool experiments and labs, and Kevin is such an inspiring teacher. I am interested in so many more branches of science now, not just space. For example, in 7th grade we studied biology and I had never done anything with that before. In sixth grade we did a project called “the inhabitable planet” where we had to take a planet and figure out how you could make it into a place where people could live. We had unlimited resources and had to figure out how to solve problems in new ways.

Tell me about a person from Friends that stands out and/or inspired you.

A teacher that I had that really stands out is Diane. I had her for second and third grade, and again for middle school. She is so kind and the most generous person. She was always just a wonderful person to be around. Her joy and positivity radiates onto everyone else.

What’s a question I should ask another interviewee?

How has being at Friends School changed your view of the world?

What are 3 words that describes your whole Friends School experience?

Inspiring, life-changing, supportive

Do you have advice for future Friends students?

Always be kind and treat others well. Then they will treat you well, too!

Do you have any advice for me, things to change/things not to change?

Continue to make it fun, challenging and good for everyone!

Do you know where you will go to High School? 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice

I sort of have four that I am thinking about: Monarch, Boulder High, Dawson or Peak to Peak.

What are your passions? What makes you, you?

Music, playing instruments like piano tuba, euphonium and violin). I don’t have a favorite, but I have been playing piano since I was 5. Another passion I have is sports – biking, skiing and softball.

What was it like to be part of the first middle school class?

I thought it was really cool to be the first ones. We got to see what the school was going to be like and help shape it to be reflective of the students interests.

If you could wave a wand……

If I could wave a wand, I would make it so that we could have our buildings on one campus. It would be fun to see people more often! I might also make the middle school a little bit bigger.

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8th Grader Profile: Allison Hoeffler

Friends School’s first 8th grade class will be graduating in May. As they look towards high school, we’ve taken the opportunity to interview each of them to find out about their time at Friends School, whether they are “lifers” (here since Preschool) or brand new to Friends School. Please enjoy this interview of Allison Hoeffler, one of Friends School’s lifers.

Name

Allison Hoeffler

Q: What grade are you in?

8th

Q: How old are you?

14. I started at Friends in preschool when I was 3 years old. That makes me a Friends School “lifer”.

Q: What do you remember from preschool? I remember playing with gak, and the sensory table. I remember a lot from second grade – I really loved being with my buddy. Then when I was older I got to be the older buddy, and now my buddy is in fifth grade and it is so cool to see her when I’m at the elementary school.

Q: Share a memory from a ceremony or trip. Tell me about the experience and what it meant to you.

The beading and naming ceremonies – I love those. I’ve collected all of the beads since I’ve been here and was given names like Joyous Jumper and Colorful Shoes. I didn’t know people noticed or appreciated those things. It’s really surprising. I also really enjoyed going to Cure Farm. I remember it being really fun to plant things and walk around and see all of the animals.

Q: What is a life lesson that you learned here?

Friends School introduced me to theater. My very first play was here. Now I’m very involved with a local theatre company. I love playing characters and being on stage.

Q: Tell me about a project or class that stands out and/or inspired you.

In middle school, science is definitely my favorite class. Kevin (Nugent) is such an amazing teacher and I love going to his class. Learning about cells, for example has been amazing. I can tell that he genuinely loves what he’s doing and that there is nothing he’d rather be doing than teaching middle school.

Q: Tell me about a person from Friends that stands out and/or inspired you.

Liz Richards who was my teacher in 4th and 5th grade. She was so much fun! I never realized that learning could be so fun.

Q: What’s a question I should ask another interviewee?

What is one word that describes your whole Friends School experience?

Q: Do you have advice for future Friends students?

I would want them to understand that we don’t just say that it’s a welcoming environment, it really is. At Friends, teachers get you genuinely interested in learning. It’s not just for the test – it’s real life. They teach academics, but it’s done hand-in-hand with learning to be a kind person.

Q: Do you know where you will go to High School? 1st, 2nd, 3rd choice

Monarch, New Vista, or Boulder High. I’m hoping to find a good theatre program. I’m nervous and excited to go to a large, new school.

Q: What are your passions? What makes you, you?

I’ve done a lot of musical theater, dance and gymnastics.

Q: What was it like to be part of Friends first middle school class?

It was amazing and crazy because there were SO many possibilities! I like it a lot. I’m trying to live in the moment and not focus on leaving. I love having all of the grades here and it was really special to be a part of starting the middle school.

Q: If you could wave a wand……

I wish that we had a student council in middle school. It would be great to have a say in how things are done.

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