Commencement 2o11 - Friends' Central School

02
OPENING COMMENTS
Letter from the Head of School
Dear Friends,
In the arc of the school year, the fall always offers that familiar
feeling of limitless possibility—the excitement of reconnecting with
teachers and friends, setting individual and collective goals, and
preparing to be challenged by new learning experiences. This time
of transition is characterized by reflection and renewal, when we
have the opportunity to imagine the many ways that we will help to
shape the Friends’ Central landscape.
The theme of transition runs
through this fall/winter issue of our
magazine, and it captures not only
the spirit of the academic season, but
also mirrors this moment in Friends’
Central’s great history, filled with
potential and expectancy. This is
an exhilarating moment when the
community has the opportunity
to reaffirm its centering Quaker
values and feel sustained by its long
and distinguished history, while
envisioning a future filled with
endless possibility.
As I noted in my August letter to
our faculty and staff, Lucille Clifton,
in her poem Blessing the Boats,
writes about a period of transition,
“a time of sailing through this to
that.” Her poetic vision about this
kind of time includes the freedom
to explore uncharted territory, an
openness to all that comes our way,
and the confidence that many kinds
of support will grace our days. That
support at FCS comes in the form of
a spirited sense of community, which
is felt and expressed in every quarter
of our school.
From stories about our graduates’
transition to their colleges and
universities to the profiles of new
Board members to Jim Davis’s move
from choral director to his new role
as archivist, there are many exciting
transitional moments featured in this
issue—all contributing to the great
strength of our community. This issue
also includes the 2010-2011 Annual
Report of Gifts, in which we take
a moment to review our successes,
thank our many generous volunteers
and donors, and look forward to the
year ahead.
All will be grounded this year by
the work on our Long-Range Plan:
Vision 2020, which will provide other
ways for us to embrace change and
tap the collective wisdom of our
community. During this process, we
will rely on the enduring values that
tether FCS to its mission, define our
community, and are, in Robert Frost’s
great phrase, native to the grain.
I hope that you enjoy reading
this issue of Quaker Works and
its celebration of transitions and
community, whether through
the words of our student
Commencement speakers Alexis
Lewis ’11 and Kyle Seid ’11 or
through the testimonials of our
alumni/ae about Reunion 2011.
Thank you for the many ways that
you contribute to the vibrancy of
Friends’ Central, and I look forward
to seeing you on campus many times
throughout the year. QW
Joanne P. Hoffman
Interim Head of School
INTERIM HEAD OF SCHOOL
Joanne P. Hoffman
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Lisa D’Orazio
EDITOR
Jim Mack
Director of Publications
LAYOUT AND DESIGN
Proof Design Studios
PRINTING
CRW Graphics
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Lydia A. Martin
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI/AE AFFAIRS
Linda Waxman Wasserman ’75
DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING
Jody Mayer
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE ASSOCIATE
Catherine Fiebach
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE ASSISTANT
Diana Bleakley
COMMUNICATIONS AND
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE
Amanda Ball
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Scott Sheppard
PHOTOGRAPHY
Rebecca Anderson
Lisa D’Orazio
Justin Garvin
Jay Gorodetzer
Jim Mack
Scott Sheppard
We welcome any comments, letters,
photographs, and suggestions for future
issues. Please send all communications to:
Editor, Quaker Works: The Magazine
Friends’ Central School
1101 City Avenue
Wynnewood, PA 19096
communications@friendscentral.org
© 2011 Friends Central School
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