In fall and early winter 2018, Friends' Central's campuses were abuzz with activity, including award-winning moments for our students, important sustainability achievements, athletic and academic successes, outstanding theater productions, orchestral and choral performances celebrating the holiday season, and inspiring guest speakers. Here are some highlights!

Friends’ Central’s winter sports season, featuring boys’ and girls’ basketball, indoor track, swimming, squash, and wrestling, has officially kicked off. Here is an outlook at the 2018-2019 winter sports season at FCS. Written by Miles Johnson '19. 

Friends' Central's Dining Hall of Shallcross Hall, located on the School's City Ave. campus, has been awarded a 3 Star Green Restaurant Certification by the Green Restaurant Association, a national non-profit dedicated to making restaurants and other dining facilities more sustainable. Recognized for its sustainability efforts in food offerings, energy and water efficiency, reduced waste efforts, and chemical and pollution reduction, FCS is one of only three schools that have been similarly certified in the State of Pennsylvania.

On Tuesday, October 30, Friends' Central hosted pediatrician, professor, and noted public health advocate Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, whose research exposed the Flint water crisis, as the inaugural Distinguished Justice Leader. Author of What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, Dr. Mona met with groups of students during the day and spoke to a sold-out crowd in the evening. 

Circlesinging and World Music Drumming have several things in common: they are creative, collaborative, and accessible approaches to music and storytelling, and FCS music teacher Michele Zuckman has studied both through Friends' Central's Farraday Stipend program.

Our newly opened City Avenue Dining Hall has been up and running for over a month now, and students and faculty have been enjoying some fantastic, fresh offerings! This stunning, newly renovated dining space is highlighted by attractive, flexible seating arrangement options, five distinctive food stations, a fully functional teaching kitchen, and the after-school Phoenix Café, with sustainability efforts permeating the entire space.

Laurel Burkbauer, grade 7 and 8 English teacher, received a summer stipend to further develop the seventh grade English curriculum, including a thorough review of the literature selections.

Sonia Chin describes her course, Frontiers and Techniques in Plant Science, which took place at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory as "summer camp for scientists." A PhD-trained scientist with expertise in animal biology, Sonia saw this course as a chance to revisit and explore plant biology with internationally renowned experts.

For six weeks this summer, Friends' Central Upper School teachers Michael Darfler and Anna Schall participated in an exciting, cutting-edge summer learning opportunity called REThink. A National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded program that provides research experience for teachers at various universities across the US, the REThink program took place at Drexel University's College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) and focused on "Machine Learning to Enhance Human-Centered Computing."