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Fall Highlights 2017

This fall, Friends' Central's campuses were abuzz with activity, including some important sustainability initiatives, academic achievement, outstanding theater productions, orchestral and choral performances celebrating the holiday season, student talent shows, illustrious guest speakers, and the renovation of Shallcross Hall - due for completion in the spring. See below for a few highlights!

Math Modeling Competition

In November, Friends’ Central Upper School students once again competed in the international HiMCM Math Modeling Competition. This year, several teams, including over 30 students, participated, and the math department is very excited about the level of student interest in this 36-hour math competition. Stay tuned for the results of this competition to be announced later this month! 

Last year, Friends’ Central’s Math Modeling Team was named a National Finalist in the 19th Annual High School Mathematical Modeling Contest. Three FCS teams entered the competition, and all three teams placed in the top third, one team placed in the top 10%, and for the second consecutive year, one FCS team placed in the top 2% to earn National Finalist recognition.

Pictured is last year's FCS team of Samuel Weiss ’17, Jiwei Cheng ’17, Harrison Burdge ’17, and Neil Goldader ’17, who received the designation of National Finalist in the 19th Annual HiMCM.


Pictured above are students performing an excerpt from Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf at the K-2 Winter Holiday Concert in December. Visit the Friends' Central Flickr gallery to see more photos from the concert, along with other holiday concerts across all the divisions


Holocaust Survivor Visits the Middle School

In December, eighth grade students had the extraordinary opportunity to meet and speak with Michael Herskovitz, a Holocaust survivor. Herskovitz gave the students a detailed account of life during the Nazi occupation, what life was like in the ghetto into which his family was forcibly moved, and the experience of being transported to the camps. Read more


Athletic Successes 

The Friends’ Central Phoenix enjoyed a strong fall 2017 season, bringing home the Friends Schools League Championship in girls’ cross country and a number of athletes from each spring sports team receiving All-Friends Schools League and All-State honors. Along with their 3rd consecutive FSL Championship, the Varsity girls’ cross country team also finished 2nd at states. Read more about the Phoenix’s fall sports season here.

Additionally, Gabby Wilkinson ’18 signed her National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Florida. Gabby plans to major in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology and hopes to play a key role in helping the Gators develop a strong distance program. Read more about Gabby here.

Sustainability Strides

In the last few months, the School and its student body have taken a number of important steps to improve sustainability efforts, which has long been a priority for the community.

  • Friends' Central is launching an energy-saving project on both campuses, expected to dramatically reduce the School’s carbon footprint. Read more
  • Friends’ Central students are taking a leadership role when it comes to waste generated on their campuses. Read more
  • In addition, in late January, solar panels will be installed on the City Avenue's Language Building! The building will be metered separately so it can act as an “energy laboratory,” allowing us to see and measure the impact of the panels and providing a learning opportunity for students.

Friends' Central Gives Back

Every year, Friends’ Central students perform more than 20,000 hours of service to the greater community and more than 1,700 hours of campus service. Designed to encourage individual responsibility, cooperation, and a sense of citizenship, service projects provide for students an opportunity to recognize “that of God” in themselves and those they serve—a key Quaker principle that guides the Friends’ Central experience.

This fall was full of examples of Friends' Central students giving back to the community. Read more


Above, Middle School students put on a fantastic performance of the play Shrek Jr. this fall. Click here for more photos.

The Upper School production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town in October represented yet another triumph for the drama department! Click here for photos from that production.

In other Friends' Central theater news, on FOX 29 in December, members of the Friends' Central Upper School Chorus performed "This is Me" from the upcoming movie The Greatest Showman, which features songs and lyrics by written by the Oscar® and Golden Globe-winning songwriting team of Friends' Central alum Benj Pasek '03 and Justin Paul.


Shallcross Reimagined  Underway with Generous Community Support and Ford Foundation Match

Thanks to a number of generous donors, renovation of Shallcross Hall kicked off in August and is scheduled to be completed this spring. Click here for an article by Julian Brenman '20, Co-Editor-in-Chief of FOCUS, Upper School Student Newspaper,  who had an opportunity to walk through the construction site and get a progress report from the project manager and other members of the team.

We made it! Thanks to numerous donors, the Friends’ Central community rallied to meet the challenge from the Edward E. Ford Foundation to raise $100,000 in order to receive a $50,000 grant. The Foundation’s contribution will help fund the Teaching Kitchen portion of the Shallcross Reimagined project.