Friends Magazine 2025

in this issue 6 100 Years on Charles Street 16 100 Years of Teaching 20 100 Years of Friends Athletics 24 Alumni Spotlight: Visual Arts

2025

1925-2025

⊳ ON THE COVER First edition of The Quaker Quill, 1938; The Forbush building, 2024; The Quaker staff, 1941; Members of the Class of 2025 at Commencement.

ELLIE ⊲ Artwork by Lilly R. '27 Medium: Watercolors and markers

in this issue ⊲

2025

Published annually by Friends School of Baltimore MISSION STATEMENT Friends School of Baltimore is a Quaker school that exists to foster in young people the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind needed to partner with their communities and to be courageous change-makers in the world. We believe education is a journey, a continual seeking after truth that relies on both inward reflection and outward connection with others, especially across lines of difference. At Friends, learning is grounded in relationships and deepened by application to the world beyond our campus. Our School is guided by the testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship, and our core belief that there is that of God in each person, and we understand these testimonies and this belief to be a call to justice. We value diversity, pursue equity, and strive to be an actively inclusive institution that works against systemic oppression, within a campus community where each individual can live out their full identities. We seek in all ways to exemplify the ideals of the Religious Society of Friends.

Kristen DeMarco Rickard Editor Laura LeBrun Hatcher Design Christine Pappas ’01 Director of Marketing and Communications Ashley Principe Chief Advancement Officer Sophia Springer ’13 Alumni Engagement Consultant Keira McNulty Editorial Contributor Sarah Achenbach Writer SEND ADDRESS CORRECTIONS TO: Friends School of Baltimore 5114 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21210 Attn: Ashley Principe alumni@friendsbalt.org Printing: Mount Royal Printing & Communications Photography: Laura Black Please recycle.

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100 YEARS ON CHARLES STREET* The history of Friends School's 100-year evolution on the Homeland campus of North Charles Street.

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100 YEARS OF TEACHING* An exploration of how Quaker values have shaped a century of educational innovation at Friends and how the School continues to prepare students for a rapidly changing future.

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100 YEARS OF FRIENDS ATHLETICS* Friends School has built a century-long tradition of athletics that has shaped generations of students through competition, character development, and a lifelong love of sport.

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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: VISUAL ARTS Five alumni in visual arts discuss their artistic start at Friends. * Sources informing the historical articles in this edition of Friends Magazine include Friends for Two Hundred Years: A History of Baltimore’s Oldest School by Dean R. Esslinger, produced in cooperation with the Maryland Historical Society (1983), and Still Friends: Reflections on the Last 25 Years at Baltimore’s Oldest School, edited by W. Byron Forbush II ’47 and Gary Blauvelt (2010).

departments 3

NEWSMAKERS

30 DEI OFFICE 32 ACADEMICS 38 ARTS 44 ATHLETICS

Follow us today @friendsbalt

50 COMMENCEMENT 2025

52 ALUMNI, CLASS NOTES, AND MILESTONES 84 FSPA NEWS 86 DEVELOPMENT 90 THE FACULTY ROOM

from the head of school ⊲

Dear Friends, Each fall, our campus comes alive with the energy of students returning to their classrooms, the rhythm of familiar traditions, and the joy of learning in a community grounded in high standards, reflection, and belonging. These moments, while part of the natural cycle of a school year, also invite us to pause and consider something larger: what it means to be part of a place that has been carefully shaped over time and continues to grow with intention.

In 2025, Friends School marked a milestone as we celebrated both our 100th year on North Charles Street and our 241st as a school. These anniversaries connect us to our origins and to the many individuals whose care, vision, and commitment shaped the community we know today. They also ask us to consider how we will carry that work forward.

Throughout the year, one idea guided our thinking: stewardship. As a Quaker testimony, stewardship calls us to tend to what has been entrusted to us, to leave things better than we found them, and to provide the conditions for growth to flourish. It is a principle that helps explain not only how Friends has endured, but how it continues to thrive.

Stewardship is also deeply connected to wonder and legacy. I learned this lesson as a child, thanks to my grandfather. One summer evening when I was five, he encouraged my sister and me to plant the pits from the cherries we had just eaten.

He promised that if we were patient, one day cherry trees would grow. A month later, when we returned to his house, we ran to the spot where we had planted, and there stood two fully grown cherry trees. For years, I shared my triumph with anyone who would listen. I believed, with great pride, that cherry trees could grow in just a month, and I was convinced that my sister and I must be gardening prodigies!

Of course, I later realized that my grandfather simply had us plant our pits at the base of cherry trees that were already there. That memory still makes me laugh, but even more, it reminds me of the gift he gave me: the wonder of believing that the world is full of possibility, and my first lesson in stewardship, that true growth takes time, trust, and attention.

This story has stayed with me because it captures what I hope we offer our students each day. Wonder is not a distraction from learning; it is the beginning of it. It is the spark that fuels curiosity, creativity, and resilience. Stewardship is not just about maintaining the present; it is also about nurturing growth, even when we cannot see the results right away. It means asking: What does this person, this idea, this place, need to truly thrive? That’s what we are called to do. Not to force things to grow, but to give them the best possible conditions to do so.

That lesson feels especially meaningful in a year like this one.

Friends School exists today because, for more than two centuries, people chose to invest, to improve, and to plant metaphorical cherry trees. Many never saw the full impact of their efforts, yet they committed themselves to the future anyway. They believed in what this community could become. We are the beneficiaries of that stewardship, and now it is our responsibility to carry that legacy forward for the next 100 years.

As you move through the pages of this magazine, I hope you find not only a reflection of the past year but also a deep sense of continuity, care, and shared responsibility. The story of Friends School is still being written, and each of us is a co-author of what comes next.

Christian Donovan, Head of School

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NEWSMAKERS

FRIENDS PARTICIPATES IN AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM'S KINETIC SCULPTURE RACE After a few years' hiatus, Friends School once again entered the American Visionary Art Museum's (AVAM) Kinetic Sculpture Race (KSR)!

amazing pirate ship named Friendship.

As part of their entry into the race, the team needed to submit a write-up for AVAM's spectator guide:

The eight-hour race covers 15 miles in downtown Baltimore—mostly on pavement–but also includes a trip into the Chesapeake Bay and through mud and sand. Students worked with Upper School art teacher Sean Tonkin to create this mobile artwork. Since it was Tonkin's first year making a vehicle for the race at Friends, he and the students decided to keep the build very simple, creating an

"Avast, maties! After years in dry dock, the legendary KSR program at Friends School is BACK on the course and ready to conquer the race once again!

They’re bringing with them a highseas spectacle that’s ready to sail (or maybe sink) into glory! This isn't just any kinetic contraption; this colorful, two-bike-powered vessel looks like it sailed straight out of a toy chest, with

bold primary colors and a playful design that’s more sandbox than shipyard. But don’t let its fun-loving appearance fool you—this tiny titan is ready to take on the mean streets of Baltimore. So hoist the sails, batten down the hatches, and get ready to cheer as this plucky pirate crew RACES FOR THE GLORY!" At the end of the race, the Friends team was awarded the Best Pit Crew, for their "patience, ingenuity, and resourcefulness, and quick thinking in the face of kinetic disaster."

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DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING DARRYL TIGGLE FEATURED ON DARTMOUTH’S ADMISSIONS BEAT PODCAST At Friends School of Baltimore, the college counseling process is a personalized journey guided by the expertise of our College Counseling team.

For 15 years, Darryl Tiggle, Director of College Counseling, has led students and families through the complex landscape of college admissions, helping them identify schools that align with their unique goals and values. His work has not only earned national recognition, including being a recipient of the Counselors That Change Lives Award, but has also resulted in Friends graduates gaining admission to top-tier institutions, often with generous scholarship support.

Darryl was featured on Dartmouth College’s “Admissions Beat” podcast in an episode titled “Start Your Engines: Accelerating from Discovery to Application.” Alongside Dartmouth’s Lee Coffin and Bright Horizons’ Jennifer Simons, he shared timely advice for seniors preparing their college applications. The episode covered key topics such as essay writing, letters of recommendation, and testing strategies, offering valuable insights for students nationwide as they navigate this pivotal stage of their educational journey.

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BATTLE OF THE BOOKS COMPETITION WINNERS Our Middle School super readers traveled to Glenelg School this year for the annual Battle of the Books competition. Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program that promotes a love of reading, builds literacy, and teamwork. Students read books and come together to test their knowledge of the books they've read.

Violet B. ’29, Dahlia H. ’29, and Rory R. ’29. placed third in the 8th grade competition.

Eleanor R. ’30, Nellie R. ’30, Cora S. ’30, and Lucy D. ’30 placed first in the 7th grade competition. Congratulations to our fantastic readers!

QUAKER QUILL WINS BEST OF SNO The student reporters and writers of two articles from The Quaker Quill’s election coverage won national Best of SNO awards for two articles, “We See ‘That of God’ In Every Person - Not Every Idea” and “Story of a Polling Place.” Best of SNO awards are given by Student Newspapers Online, and are designed to recognize outstanding student journalism. During the 20242025 academic year, 15,500 stories were submitted for consideration and only 15% were selected for publication.

Congratulations to Lily B. ’25, Ben B. ’25, Tessa C. ’25, Braeden D. ’25, Scarlett D. ’25, Connor H. ’25, Ramsey K. ’25, Yipeng L. ’25, Ellie M. ’26, Paul M. ’25, Adam N. ’25, Isla O. ’26, Ella P. ’25, Noah P. ’25, and Caroline T. ’25.

newsmakers ⊲ KHADEJAH A. ’25 ATTENDS UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI’S SUMMER SCHOLARS PROGRAM Last summer, Khadejah A. ’25 attended the Summer Scholars Program at the University of Miami, where the students in her digital media class received a surprise visit from famous filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

“I think the biggest takeaway from him was to just keep going,” she said. “It was such an inspiring conversation.” The Summer Scholars Program provides an exciting opportunity for current high school sophomores and juniors to explore their academic passions and experience what it’s like to be a college student. This unique three-week pre-college program allows students to earn college credit, interact with world class professors, make lasting friendships, and grow as independent thinkers. Khadejah plans to attend the University of Delaware in the fall of 2025 as a communications major.

MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN “FILM THIS!” BOOK TRAILERS CONTEST Friends School students from the Middle School Video Production Club recently entered a film trailer into the “Film This!” Book Trailers contest put on by the Harford County Public Library. This contest challenges students in middle and high school to create a film promoting their favorite book. Select library staff judges choose the winning submissions based on their criteria of creativity, images, audio and music, content, and level of interest created in the book. Congratulations to our 14 student participants who storyboarded the scenes, wrote the script, collected props and costumes, found images and music, acted, and edited the trailer, and to faculty advisor Nicolette Matsangos, Middle School Librarian, for taking part in the finalists screening for their trailer for The Giver.

FRIENDS SCHOOL LAUNCHES SCREENAGERS SERIES TO SUPPORT HEALTHY TECH HABITS As part of our ongoing commitment to student well-being, Friends School launched a series of community events centered around the Screenagers film series, exploring the impact of screen time, social media, and digital culture on youth. In response to growing concerns from families in the wake of the pandemic, a crossdivisional committee of faculty and administrators formed to lead this important initiative. The committee aimed to engage students, parents, and educators in thoughtful dialogue and learning opportunities focused on developing healthy tech habits and supporting emotional wellness.

The series included three evening screenings in the Forbush Auditorium—Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age, Screenagers: Next Chapter, and Screenagers: Under the Influence— each followed by small-group discussions. These events were just the beginning. The committee planned student activities, faculty discussions, professional development, and summer reading connected to the themes of the films. Together, these efforts aimed to equip the Friends community with tools and strategies to navigate our complex digital world with awareness, balance, and confidence.

From left to right, back row: Lucy M. ’29, Maggie L. ’29, Finn C., ’29, Cole R. ’29; front row: Malerie M. ’29, Dahlia H. ’29, Kassidy Z. ’29 FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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Schools around Baltimore and the nation were embracing the country day school movement in the suburbs.

North Charles Street was on the cusp of transformation– peaceful, green, and full of possibilities for a new suburban generation and for Friends School.

1924

1927

FRIENDS SCHOOL AT PARK PLACE IN 1924

“The next five years are to be test years for our own as well as other private schools in the city now having well-established and proper out-of-town location for athletics and other purposes,” Edward Wilson, Principal from 1902-1927, wrote in 1924. A dozen years earlier, he had moved Friends athletic programs to a West Forest Park athletic field for more space.

WILLIAM S. PIKE

1925 NORTH CHARLES STREET PROPERTY Fahey’s Meadow in 1925, the property purchased by Friends from the Roland Park Company, the commercial developer that created Roland Park, Guilford, and Homeland.

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Principal from 1927 to 1935, Pike led the staggered move to North Charles Street with the primary students first, followed by intermediate students. Shortly after his tenure, the relocation to the suburbs from Park Place was complete, with the high school students joining their younger classmates in fall 1936.

100 YEARS

ON CHARLES STREET O

ver the past 100 years, numerous cornerstones have been laid on North Charles Street as Friends School of Baltimore built its campus and community following its 1925 move from the Park Avenue campus. Today, whenever the School honors its land history, it acknowledges that the campus occupies the unceded ancestral lands of the Piscataway, Susquehannock, and Nanticoke peoples. By humbly offering respect and gratitude to Indigenous peoples past, present, and future—rightful and traditional inhabitants of the lands where students, faculty, and staff now live, work, learn, and play—Friends students learn to honor the past, celebrate the present, and steward resources for the future.

This ethic of reflection and responsibility echoes the cornerstone for every achievement on North Charles Street. Whether building new facilities, launching programs, fostering innovations, or adding chapters to Friends’ storied history as Baltimore’s first school, the School’s foundation remains the Quaker commitment to learning through inquiry, reflection, action, and discovery.

These were the ideals fixed in the vision of Edward Wilson, Friends Principal and champion of the move north. He had watched the migration of families from the city to new suburbs like Homeland, built on former farmland along the Charles Street corridor. Schools around Baltimore and the nation were embracing the country day school movement in these newly populated suburbs. North Charles Street was on the cusp of transformation—peaceful, green, and full of possibilities for a new suburban generation and for Friends School.

When Wilson argued his case to the Education Committee of the Baltimore Monthly Meeting (then the governing body for Friends School), he shared his views on how Baltimore [in 1924] was detrimental to learning, including “the danger of street traffic…[and] the increasing distraction of various artificial and unwholesome daytime recreations.”

Beyond the need for more space, Wilson cited concerns about the influx of newly arrived immigrants—primarily from Russia and Eastern Europe—and

the rise of petty crime, including the supposed theft of athletic equipment, at the School’s West Forest Park property.

His observations, shaped by the language and assumptions common in 1924, informed his belief that a move north would better support the School’s mission. He framed the shift to the suburbs as a way to remain rooted in the Quakers’ deep spiritual connection to God’s creation and “in getting as much of God’s out of doors into the lives of children as we can.”

And God’s out of doors it was. Located on the former farm, Fahey’s Meadow, the 26-acre parcel of gently sloping land was filled with trees and shrubs. A small stream, Stony Run, meandered along the property’s western edge. Friends’ parent James C. Martien, the Roland Park Company executive who had sold the West Forest Park property to the School, offered to help sell that property and assist the School with purchasing a suitable tract in the company’s holdings on North Charles Street near its new Homeland development. The Roland

Park Company had built the thriving Guilford and Roland Park neighborhoods.

The Fahey’s Meadow property was originally purchased for athletic purposes—all teams and athletic activities moved to the new campus in 1925—but the Education Committee quickly embraced Wilson’s vision of a future campus. When William S. Pike became Principal in 1927, construction began in earnest for the first Friends building on North Charles Street, the Gothic-inspired Primary building. A few years later, older students moved into the new Intermediate building, with high school classes following in 1936.

By the end of 1937, the relocation to North Charles Street was complete.

Friends sold the Park Place campus to the City of Baltimore in 1944.

A Transformational Journey The story of Friends’ 100 years on North Charles Street remains an impressive transformation. The now 35 acres is a collegiate-inspired campus where FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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“ARCHITECTS” OF FRIENDS’ EARLY NORTH CHARLES STREET YEARS The story of Friends on North Charles Street includes many people who have shepherded the growth of the School over the past 100 years. Here are the leaders of character who envisioned new possibilities for Friends and its community:

Edward C. Wilson served as Principal from 1902 to 1927, championing Friends’ move to the northern suburbs William S. Pike (photo on page 6) Principal from 1927 to 1935, led the move to North Charles Street.

Headmaster from 1935 to 1943, Edwin C. Zavitz led the creation of Friends’ modern-day administrative and divisional structure and added a nursery school and Kindergarten.

From 1943–1960, Bliss Forbush Sr. served as Headmaster, guiding the School through desegregation in 1954, the post-War boom, and numerous campus, curricular, and co-curricular additions. A former Friends religion teacher and member of the Education Committee, he was a highly respected Quaker leader.

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academic, arts, and athletics–the three “A’s” of Friends School–embrace a holistic approach to education, encouraging students to explore and excel in all three areas.

from which older students could choose from in the 1930s. The early days on North Charles Street included field trips and engaging speakers for all grades.

The Friends community has grown as well, in both students and adults. Today, the Friends student body encompasses infants at the Little Friends Early Learning Center (created in 2004) through 12th grade, each a living, breathing testament to the Quaker values that guided Wilson’s vision for what a place of learning could be on North Charles Street.

Designing an Artistic Campus

Faculty and staff, of course, have grown in numbers over the decades and in disciplines and departments. Following the Depression, Headmaster Edwin Cornell Zavitz gave more authority to the principals and added a needed Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds to administration duties to shepherd the burgeoning campus. He also created a structure and nomenclature that continues today, replacing the Primary, Intermediate, and High School divisions with a Lower School (grades one through six) and Upper School for the remaining grades. In 1937, Friends opened a nursery school and Kindergarten in the former clubhouse on the property. Decades later, Friends created its Middle School in 1970 for grades six through eight, opening a new Middle School building in 2005.

Though among the oldest educational programs in the nation, Quaker schools very much exist in the world today. The curriculum includes traditional subjects, but is very connected with the skills students need now. In the 1950s, Claire Walker began teaching Russian. She was the first secondary school teacher of Russian in Baltimore, one of a handful in the nation, and the first American to receive the Pushkin Prize. In the 1980s, the first computer labs and classes were added to the curriculum, and today, students are learning how to harness the power of artificial intelligence as a tool.

Zavitz touted the School’s focus on teaching children to learn from observation and discovery and to use their natural abilities and interests to develop authentic talents and creativity. Increasing co-curricular offerings helped to mold the whole child through physical, social, and social justice activities. Ice hockey, Upper School orchestra, The Quaker Quill, Red Cross volunteer work, and the new student council were among the activities

The performing and visual arts are essential to the culture and curriculum of Friends. The music program has grown substantially since the 1980s, when there were basic music classes, four choruses, and an instrumental music program just finding its footing. The School added exploratory music for third graders (fourth and fifth graders learn band or orchestral instruments). Today’s program includes four Middle School ensembles, a four-course Upper School music curriculum, and five advanced Upper School ensembles plus student-run a cappella groups. Students can pursue a Music Major by concurrently enrolling in a performance ensemble and Music Theory for a full academic year. Musicians give numerous annual performances on campus and across the Baltimore region.

Student theater performances have been a tradition since the School’s first years on North Charles Street. Whether through the annual Middle School Musical—it began as an annual dinner theater event encompassing every Middle School student—three Upper School productions (including a student-run production), and Upper School drama electives, hundreds of students learn the art of acting and production. As both an art form and a discipline, dance has shaped student life at Friends since before 1908, when Stephen Harry, then head of the high school, required dance lessons before students could attend the Prom. Today, the Dance program cultivates well‑rounded dancers through a curriculum that approaches the art from technical, performance, choreographic, and aesthetic perspectives. Students engage with a wide range of styles—from jazz in the studio to hip‑hop choreography after school to ballet performed on stage.

The visual arts include a cross-disciplinary approach at all levels, dedicated art classes and classrooms/studios beginning in Lower School to Upper School electives in all mediums, including adaptive design and creative coding in Friends’ Makerspaces. The Art Major and Minor continues to provide Upper School students with the chance to focus on their creativity.

Friends musicians give numerous annual performances on campus and across the Baltimore region.

1938

FIRST PUBLICATION OF THE QUAKER QUILL

The Quaker Quill student newspaper was first published in 1938. Prior, students worked on The Friends School Quarterly (1901) and The Scarlet and Gray (1908). Later, The Mock Turtle literary magazine was created to showcase the creative writing of Upper School students.

1953

1987 UPPER SCHOOL PRODUCTION OF THE SOUND OF MUSIC

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1954

ADMISSIONS POLICY ON DESEGREGATION

1949

Friends was among the first of the private country day schools in Baltimore to integrate Black families. Under the strong leadership of Headmaster Bliss Forbush Sr., in cooperation with the Education Committee, the first six Black students entered the Nursery School and Kindergarten in the fall of 1954.

1973

STONY RUN MEETINGHOUSE

Since the 1950s, the Stony Run Meetinghouse has been an integral part of Friends School.

The first brick was laid on April 1, 1949, and upon the building’s completion, the Baltimore Monthly Meeting renamed itself the Baltimore Monthly Meeting of Friends, Stony Run, as it is known today. The first Meeting for Worship was held on December 18, 1949, with the Meetinghouse officially opening in January 1950.

RIGHT: Students during Meeting for Worship in the Stony Run Meetinghouse, 1973. .

2025 1981 COMMUNITY SERVICE

Beginning with the Class of 1986, each student was required to complete 40 hours of service, off campus and not during school hours. Later, students advocated that the requirement be increased to 50 hours, as it remains today. Many students go well beyond these hours.

Left: Members of the 1981 Community Service Committee; Right: Members of the Friends community participating in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

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Of course, sports have grown as well on North Charles Street. When the new gym opened in 1937 – known today as the "Old Gym"– students swam and played basketball and other indoor sports. The undefeated 1938 Boys’ Lacrosse team ended City College’s 37-game winning streak, a harbinger of the School’s exceptional athletic teams heralded with each generation (see "100 Years of Friends Athletics," page 20, for a detailed history).

A Quaker Community The Stony Run Meetinghouse, built in 1949, sits adjacent to campus and is very much a part of the Friends experience, with students visiting weekly.

After challenging discussions in 1972, it became clear that the School and Baltimore Monthly Meeting were two different institutions with different purposes and goals. Despite the fears, incorporation strengthened the Quaker character of Friends School. W. Byron Forbush II ’47, Headmaster from 19601998, instituted a weekly Meeting for Worship, explaining to parents that, “Participation is . . . a seeking of openness, an interweaving of listening, prayer and mediation, carried on in an atmosphere of trust and expectancy. . . Meeting for Worship [is] one of the windows opening on the Truth, a great window with many panes at many levels.” Friends infused Quaker teachings and the SPICES (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship) through annual curricular themes, events, and programs.

In 2021, Friends created the position of Director of Quaker Life, a shared vision by the Board of Trustees, Administrative Council, and the Friends Quaker Life Committee (and championed by the Stony Run Meetinghouse). Anna Melville ’01, Friends faculty, serves in the role, upholding the School’s values and traditions and deepening the focus and alignment on what it means to provide a Quaker education.

“The principles of Quakerism are a pattern by which you live your life,” Melville explains. “There’s nothing you must believe necessarily, except that a commitment to a life of simplicity, peace, and integrity is one way to add good to the world.” She works with Stony Run and across the School to create and strengthen programs and education, including the recent “Quaker 101” program, run by Stony Run members and Friends parents to introduce those

unfamiliar with Quaker Meeting for Worship with division-specific programs at the Meetinghouse and online.

Beginning in 1983, Friends added the Upper School community service graduation requirement, an innovation well before public schools and many other independent schools.

The common thread of students helping other members of their community weaves through more recent programs for Peer Educators, the student-run Writing Center, student representation on the Board of Trustees, the Student-Faculty Discipline Committee, and other opportunities to experience Quaker values in action.

Rooted in Responsibility: Stewarding the Campus At the core of Friends’ mission is a deep, intentional commitment to stewardship: caring for the land, buildings, and resources not just for today’s students, but for generations to come. From the restoration of the Stony Run stream to sustainable building practices and a student-led focus on waste reduction, Friends School treats its campus as a shared trust. Quaker testimony in action, this stewardship centers on making thoughtful choices about energy use, investing in green infrastructure, and maintaining open spaces where nature and community meet.

In recent years, Friends has installed solar panels and expanded outdoor classrooms that connect students directly with the environment they’re learning to protect. Faculty and students collaborate on projects that blend science, ethics, and action—living out the principle that caring for the earth is both a privilege and a responsibility.

The Upper School Sustainability Council, founded in 2013, educates the School community on how to live sustainably on campus and on the planet. Student members sponsor clothing and sports equipment swaps, educate the community about water conversion, and lead campus recycling and composting efforts. They assess Stony Run stream's water quality, practice ecojustice by growing food in the Friends Community Garden for the CARES food pantry in Govans, and more.

The campus includes numerous awardwinning Native Plant Teaching Gardens, created in partnership with the Guilford Garden Club (GGC) and Kay McConnell

H’22, P’02, ’05, ’10, since 2005. For the past two decades, students and GGC volunteers have planted gardens filled with Chesapeake Bay Watershed native shrubs, perennials, ferns, and grasses.

The gardens require minimal care, attract pollinators, and serve as inspiration for art, science, and language arts classes.

“Our natural gardens are a unique feature that beautifies our campus, are teaching tools for our students, and help us address topographical challenges of our location,” explains Head of School Christian Donovan.

“We sit in a bowl and get water runoff from the high point of Northern Parkway, which comes into the Stony Run stream.”

Friends School’s storm water management plan includes cisterns built underneath the playing fields to the water absorption from the native plant gardens, a decision embracing the ideal that stewardship of place is stewardship of purpose. In caring for the campus, the Friends community demonstrates what it means to walk gently on the earth—with intention, with integrity, and with hope.

Stewardship of the campus includes caring for its historic buildings through innovation and adaptability. Guided by a series of thoughtful master plans designed to enhance how the community uses interior and exterior spaces, Friends has continuously adapted its facilities from the construction of a Math & Science building in the 1960s to last year’s comprehensive renovation of the Lower School building.

The project encompassed the original Primary building, the original Lower School building (today's Lower School East building), and the connecting Lower School West building, built in 1989. With green construction and ADA-compliance, every space was renovated to balance 21st-century brain science and bestpractice pedagogy for lower school education with Quaker principles.

There are flexible spaces and seating, simple, peaceful classroom decor and hallways, and shared classroom resources to promote community, collaboration, and respect.

As Friends celebrates its milestone centennial on North Charles Street, the enduring values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship continue to guide the School’s path forward—on North Charles Street and beyond. ■

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T

he story of Friends School on North Charles Street is defined by spirit, that of character, community, continuity of Quaker values and traditions, and also of spirit of place. From the first few years in its new location, the School has cultivated a campus to meet the needs of the moment and also of future generations. Here are a few of the highlights over this past century.

1928 PRIMARY BUILDING

Still in use today and renovated in 2024, the Primary building was the first building constructed on the North Charles Street campus.

Construction began on May 22, 1928, with School leaders, faculty, and students laying the cornerstone. Inclement weather made for muddy conditions on the new campus, so the ceremony was held at the Park Avenue building.

INTERMEDIATE BUILDING On May 16, 1931, Friends launched construction for its next new building on North Charles Street: the home for the Intermediate Department.

1931

1937 NURSERY BUILDING Purchased with the acreage, Friends’ original Nursery building was a former clubhouse on the southern edge of the North Charles Street property and the only existing structure in 1925. The School used it for athletics until 1937, when it was converted into the Nursery School and Pre-Primary building.

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GYMNASIUM

1937

The original gymnasium opened in 1937, continuing Friends’ strong athletic tradition on North Charles Street. From 1912 to 1925, several Friends teams had been practicing and competing on 8 1/2 acres in West Forest Park, purchased by the School due to limited athletic space on the Park Place campus.

Stewardship of the campus includes caring for its historic buildings through innovation and adaptability. Guided by a series of thoughtful master plans designed to enhance how the community uses interior and exterior spaces, Friends has continuously adapted its facilities.

FORBUSH AUDITORIUM CONSTRUCTION Construction for a new auditorium began in 1956, which was then dedicated to Bliss Forbush, Sr., who retired in 1960, to honor his many achievements as headmaster. During his tenure, Friends had grown substantially in enrollment and in its faculty salaries budget (increasing from $67,934 to $301,820) by 1960, and the physical plant was now valued at over $1 million with additional athletic fields, a new shop building, three faculty homes, and Forbush Auditorium.

1956

MATH & SCIENCE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

1966

In 1966, Friends built a new math and science building tucked into the woods along the northern edge of campus. That same year, the School expanded the gymnasium and added 10 new tennis courts surrounded by new parking lot and walkways.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL In 1970, Friends separated grades 6-8 into the distinct Middle School division, creating a new home for the Middle School from an extension of the Forbush Auditorium in 1975. In 2004, Friends constructed a new Middle School and greatly expanded the Upper School Math & Science building.

1975 UPPER SCHOOL In 1982, a dedicated Upper School building was added to the campus. In 1992, the Upper School music wing expansion began, and Lawndale Field was purchased soon after.

1982

1990 LOWER SCHOOL WEST Opened in 1990, the Lower School West building connected to the original Lower School building with a glass-enclosed bridge. In 2024, the entire Lower School facility was renovated.

2003 ZAMOISKI ALUMNI CENTER In 2003, the James L. Zamoiski ’68 Alumni Center, nicknamed the “ZAC,” was built on the location of the former Head of School house on campus.

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2009 QUAKER CLOSET & DINING HALL Moving toward its 225th anniversary, Friends’ cultivation and stewardship efforts remained robust. With money raised, several updates and additions to buildings came to be, including the School’s LEED-certified Dining Hall, featuring Energy Star-rated equipment, a renovated wrestling room, a new fitness center, and an expanded Quaker Closet.

2016 FORBUSH BUILDING TRANSFORMATION In the summer of 2011, Friends School began the most ambitious capital campaign in its 227-year history. With an initial goal of $18 million, Setting the Stage focused on three priorities that would allow Friends to grow the endowment, create a performing and visual arts center, and sustain our educational programs through robust annual giving.

The campaign concluded in 2016, raising $25.8 million— surpassing the combined total of all eight previous campaigns.

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LITTLE FRIENDS BUILDING

In 2004, to provide childcare for its faculty and staff, the School opened Baby Friends, which was first held in the Stony Run Meetinghouse. In 2013, the newly named Little Friends Early Learning Center moved to a recently purchased and renovated residential home adjacent to campus and opened the program to the public. In 2023, it opened Little Friends North, the renovated facility director's residential house in front of the original Little Friends building.

2024 LOWER SCHOOL INTERIOR The multimillion-dollar Lower School Transformation, a three-year project focused on the Lower School East and West buildings, was unveiled for the start of the 2024-25 school year; each element, from furniture to color schemes, is grounded in the latest brain science about how young learners thrive.

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2024 “We are educating students for careers that don't exist yet, and have been for the past 20 years.”

CH R IST IA N DON OVA N, H EA D OF SC H OOL

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100 YEARS OF TEACHING

for Tomorrow I

n 1925, when Friends School of Baltimore moved into the Field House, today's Pre-Primary building, which was the first building on its new Homeland campus on North Charles Street, traditional teaching at the time, and for many decades to come, was a one-size-fits-all approach. Teachers steered the learning. Students recited facts and memorized figures.

Friends’ young students, though, were part of a quiet educational revolution focused on teaching for the challenges of the day and yet to come, inspired by the Quaker ethos that the truth is continuously revealed. “The idea that there would be continuing revelation around the concept of teaching has existed basically from the beginning for Quakers,” Christian Donovan, Head of School, explains.

Early classrooms on the North Charles Street campus embraced experiential learning and the now pedagogical standard: learning driven by student questions and passions. “Quaker education has long been the School's through line—rooted in inquiry-based learning, asking lots of questions, and teaching students how to think, not what to think,” explains Heidi Hutchison, Principal, PK-8.

Today, a different revolution driven by AI, biotechnology, genetics, robotics, and more is changing how we live, work, and learn. “We are educating students for careers that don't exist yet and have been for the past 20 years,” Donovan says. “We have had to rethink how we do school, something at which Quaker schools and particularly Friends are quite successful.”

The Educational Skills Needed to Meet the Future of Work The work ladder of past generations is shifting as AI tools reshape how the workplace handles entry‑level tasks.

Many labor‑market forecasts suggest that a significant share of today’s entry‑level roles may disappear, raising an urgent question: how will young adults gain the experience needed for more advanced work? Some guidance comes from the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) list of skills students need now—and will need even more in the next five years.

Similar lists in the 1990s ranked computer skills and basic skills in reading, writing, and math as necessary. Those skills aren’t on the WEF’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report, which has analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, agility, and creative thinking at the top of the list. Crucial interpersonal skills include empathy, active listening, and collaborative problem-solving.

“The WEF skills of the future are built into the DNA of Quaker education," Donovan notes. He sees this underscored time and again as he meets with Friends alumni. “More often than not, our graduates are the ones in high-level roles who bring people together to hear, to listen carefully to the ideas in the room, and to help people agree on those ideas.

Those are the skills that we believe are going to be really important for the future, and that we are very good at teaching here.”

What’s predicted for 2030? Creative thinking is still a key skill, but understanding AI and big data moves to the top. “Given how fast things move now, having the agility to relearn something is important, and relearning is a constant for Quaker schools,” Donovan reflects.

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Quaker Education: 100 Years of Change and Continuity Friends faculty use hands-on or experiential learning, brain science, and other pedagogical tools to teach in today’s student-centered classroom, an approach that began in the 1930s when the School embraced the progressive education movement’s tenets of “learning by doing” and child-centered approach. Students were encouraged to explore their interests through academics, the arts, athletics, and a growing array of co-curricular activities. Faculty began incorporating project-based learning through science experiments and outdoor learning opportunities.

In the 1940s, the peace testimony became more visible in the curriculum, with increased service projects and dialogue about justice and equality. When the U.S. entered World War II, the faculty discussed war and peace in social studies classes, and the Friends community collected items to send to servicemen. Headmaster Bliss Forbush Sr. and his wife, LeVerne, helped to co-found the first Civilian Public Service Camp for Quaker boys and other conscientious objectors.

Rights Movement—and Quakerism drew Whittney Preston, Ed.D., Director of DEI, to the School in 2024. Friends’ longstanding DEI foundation, initiated in the 1990s, enables her to move programming to the next level, like the new student DEI Delegates, a roundtable of club heads from Upper School cultural and affinity groups like the Human Rights Club, Muslim Student Union, Asian Student Union, Jewish Student Union, and others. Last year, Preston and Bianca Washington ’15, Associate Director of DEI, launched a Middle School Students of Color affinity group.

“We’re not running from the term ‘DEI’ because belonging is the outcome,” she says of her office’s chosen DEI theme of belonging through community.

“Friends’ [DEI approach] has always been about identity and community.

Bianca and I guide students to examine their own identities and how it helps them shape their view of the world.

It’s extending grace to get to know people and understanding that everyone has different interests in practicing skills of disagreeing, but still being able to be in community.”

As diversity of race, gender, and backgrounds grew, the School ensured that its curriculum, culture, and programs expanded as well, rooted in the core belief that everyone possesses a divine Inner Light and is worthy of respect and inclusion.

In fall 1954, Friends was one of the first independent schools in Baltimore to integrate, beginning with Black students into the Lower School, with the middle and upper grades following in subsequent years. As diversity of race, gender, and backgrounds grew, the School ensured that its curriculum, culture, and programs expanded as well, rooted in the core belief that everyone possesses a divine Inner Light and is worthy of respect and inclusion.

DEI, Brain Science, & SEL: Foundations for Education The natural overlap of the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education—a pedagogical focus that began across the U.S. during the Civil

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They work with seven adult Diversity Coordinators representing all divisions, including non-teaching employees, to ensure that the Quaker ideals of equity and inclusion are palpable across the curriculum and campus. Preston, a seasoned K-12 DEI educator, teaches DEI lessons beginning in the Pre-Primary and capped with revamped Friends Forum, Diversity Practitioner, and Social Justice Upper School electives. Parent affinity groups have also expanded this school year with groups for parents of LGBTQ+ students, parents of neurodiverse students, and parents of students with disabilities.

“Now more than ever, people skills are needed,” Preston adds. “We've lost a lot with COVID and screen time. [Friends’

DEI approach] is to see the Light of God in everyone, to assume positive intent and learning. The most important thing we teach is how to put this into the practical decisions, to self-reflect if a decision is serving them or is in the service of the community.”

While the 2000s favored the term “multicultural” to describe DEI efforts, some schools are shifting to “community engagement and belonging”—values woven into the fabric of Quakerism for centuries. “DEI work is essentially taking care of people and teaching them to take care of others and themselves,” Preston says. “If we can continue to do that, then we are helping prepare people for tomorrow.”

The recent decade has seen another educational shift, with the introduction of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) becoming embedded alongside academics. SEL helps students better understand their emotions and how to demonstrate empathy, make responsible, positive decisions, and set and achieve goals. “A child’s emotions are not add-ons to their learning—they are the gatekeepers to paying attention,” says Emily Bartz, Middle School Learning Specialist.

Techniques include mindfulness, reflection, and cooperative problemsolving—again, skills that have been part of the Quaker classroom for centuries. “Sitting in silence in Meeting for Worship or other moments of silence is best practice for kids with ADHD and executive functioning issues,” Bartz adds.

“Now we know the research behind why being centered and taking the time to reflect are so powerful for students.”

The emergence of brain science in the early 2000s drove SEL and mindfulness practices to help students manage stress and anxiety, notes Hutchison. “We know much more about neuroscience and how students learn best, especially after COVID,” she says. “We now know that when you have any kind of negative emotional response, the brain shuts down and no learning occurs.”

All students receive age-appropriate SEL lessons, including the required Social Emotional Learning and Identity (SELI) course for all Middle School students.

Team-taught by various teachers and administrators, SELI offers lessons on SEL-related topics from mental health

1960 Friends faculty use hands-on or experiential learning, brain science, and other pedagogical tools to teach in today’s student-centered classroom, an approach that began in the 1930s.

2025 awareness and identity to Quakerism, taught by Anna Melville ’01, Director of Quaker Life, to DEI topics and what it means to be a leader. Bartz’s SELI lessons cover executive functioning skills to help students understand the mental skills that include planning, organization, working memory, impulse control, and flexible thinking. Instead of assuming students will pick up these skills, the School introduces appropriate executive functioning strategies at each grade level.

Brain chemistry research informs everyday classroom practice.

“Neurotransmitters like dopamine play a key role in motivation, reward, and attention, while cortisol, the stress hormone, can inhibit the brain’s ability to process and retain new information when present at high levels,” Hutchison says. “This knowledge reinforces the importance of creating emotionally safe, engaging, and purposeful learning environments—principles long aligned with our Quaker testimonies of peace, integrity, and community.”

Every space in the renovated Lower School, which opened in September 2024, is designed by brain science.

Seating options, classroom configuration, and even the colors on the walls were chosen based on how children learn best. “Classrooms that celebrate curiosity, provide immediate and meaningful feedback, and encourage collaboration help maintain healthy dopamine levels, boosting focus, persistence, and optimal learning,” adds Hutchison.

Bartz provides professional development in brain science and executive functioning and has created similar parent education, including an August

2025 program on executive functioning skills with Friends parent, alumna, and psychologist Beth Bodnar ’95. Teachers, parents, and students receive the same language, which creates community norms. “Students own their learning, teachers are more aligned with best practices, and parents have a clear plan to support learning at home,” Bartz explains. For students who need more support, she and colleagues Schoen Oakes, M.Ed., Upper School Director of Student Support, and Meda Groff, Lower School Learning Specialist, work with them on individual strategies.

The goal of teaching the value of metacognition and other skills is increased self-knowledge and self-worth, critical tools in an age when social media dangles the need for external validation and AI necessitates responsible, ethical use. “Aligning pedagogy with how brains learn and with our Quaker mission to see the Light in every child means that we teach skills that help that light shine: regulation, focus, planning, flexibility, reflection,” Bartz explains.

1982 Back to the Future: The Enduring Impact of a Quaker Education The past 100 years at Friends—and across the nation’s schools—have seen a huge transformation in pedagogy, technology, and brain science, inspiring a new understanding about how children learn best. Woven through each decade are the Quaker traditions of designing learning to honor the value in each voice and balancing academic rigor, all while adapting to the needs of the time and to tomorrow. ■

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“We approach sports being mindfully rooted in equity, respect, stewardship, and valuing why we're playing. It's more than just the scoreboard.”

– K A R A CA R L IN , D IR EC TOR OF AT H LET I CS

1937

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100 YEARS OF F R I E N D S AT H L E T I C S

B

efore the first classroom was built, before the first chalkboard squeaked, Friends School of Baltimore students were already running, throwing, passing, and competing on the fields of North Charles Street. Originally purchased for athletic fields, this new campus begins the story of how a Quaker school became a quiet, steady, athletic pillar—and how Friends’ deep-rooted commitment to equity, excellence, and tradition has kept it running strong.

A century ago, as Baltimore sprawled outward into the suburbs, Friends was planning something bolder than merely following families northward. The School was cultivating a culture of athletic competition, character, and community that would span a century of 100-plus conference championships since 1925.

Friends athletes have helped define the School’s identity and spirit, an integral ingredient for Baltimore’s growing independent school landscape, when the North Charles Street campus was purchased. By 1924, the School’s West Forest Park athletic facilities had served their purpose. Headmaster Edwin C. Wilson envisioned greener pastures in former farmland near Homeland for Friends’ sports, recreation, and spirited community events to connect students, parents, faculty, and alumni, and bolster the School’s burgeoning athletic reputation.

As one of the first schools in Baltimore to develop sports for both boys and girls, Friends has also always been a pioneer for equity and access in high school athletics. In 1913, the

Girls’ Basketball team won the City Championship, the same year the School’s Field Hockey team was established. The North Charles Street fields meant new possibilities for its female competitors. In 1927, Friends added a Girls’ Lacrosse team (the Boys’ team began in 1924, winning the Maryland Scholastic Championship in 1928).

to encourage, how to work through adversity with that competitive spirit always in mind of always wanting to do better.” Four decades ago, a 1983 editorial from The Quaker Quill embraced this belief: “The goal of our athletic program is to educate the whole [student]. We are naturally very much interested in winning our athletic contests, but we are particularly interested in the type of game played and the spirit with which it is played.”

At the center of every game, score, practice, and cheer is an understanding of what it means to coach, play, and compete in the spirit of Quaker values.

“It doesn’t mean passively, it means purposefully with responsibility and a clear sense of community on why you're walking onto that field or court,” explains Kara Carlin, Director of Athletics. “We approach sports being mindfully rooted in equity, respect, stewardship, and valuing why we're playing. It's more than just the scoreboard.”

“We want every Friends athlete at every level to know that their experience definitely reflects the Quaker testimonies, and that they have a lifelong love of sports and being active forever,” Carlin reflects. “We want them to graduate with the sense of pride of putting on a Friends School jersey and that they learned character development through athletics, not just what the scoreboard reflected.”

The goal, agrees Anne McGinty, Associate Athletic Director and Director of Physical Education, is to use the playing fields and courts as teaching spaces to provide life skills and lessons like: “how to be a part of a team, how

Brooke Matthews Shriver ’07, Associate Coach for the U.S. Naval Academy Women’s Lacrosse team, knows what it means to excel for the Quakers—and why it’s important to try new sports. She earned 11 Varsity letters in soccer, FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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“It’s an honor to be able to represent your school, play with your classmates, and represent Friends all around town.” – KARA CARLIN, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

or on the weekends. I continue to pass this message on to my players. The extra work and dedication are what will separate you.”

indoor soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, winning numerous athletic awards, including being named a two-time Academic All-American and Under Armour All-American. The Friends School of Baltimore Athletic Hall of Famer started all four years for Northwestern University’s Women’s Lacrosse team, helping her team win four American Lacrosse Conference titles.

After making Varsity Soccer as a freshman, Shriver confidently checked “varsity” on the form for basketball try-outs, the only freshman to do so. “I wasn’t great at basketball, but to me, it just made sense,” says the 5’4” Shriver.

“If you are trying out for something, you might as well reach for the top. I always have high expectations and aspirations despite my lack of stature and skill.”

Friends’ focus has been on educationbased athletics, a mission expressed through the scheduling. For most schools, athletics practice and games begin after the academic day. At Friends, it is part of the academic day. “This allows the Quaker testimonies and tenets to transcend into our Middle and Upper School programs,” McGinty explains.

There has been an athletic requirement throughout the School’s history. Today, the "Four Core Plus Two" requires that students complete freshman and sophomore forums focused on well-being, healthy relationships, and identity. They meet the "Two" portion with a combination of interscholastic athletics and physical education classes, a requirement designed so that students play a full sport each year. “We recognize that there are many students who are multiple-sport athletes,” says McGinty. “We encourage participation for all. We try to have a no-cut policy whenever possible. We want people to try new sports along their journey while being competitive.”

She didn’t make the Varsity Basketball team that year, but the Friends’ approach to encouraging multi-sport athletes honed her confidence. It’s the integrity she learned playing for Friends that has shaped her life and her coaching career.

If a student’s sports passion is not offered at Friends—horseback riding, archery, or rock climbing, for example—they can receive credit for pursuing it off campus.

Similarly, in Middle School, students play multiple sports, Monday through Thursday, in a program designed for fun, friendship, and discovering new sports.

While sitting in the Forbush Auditorium, she would read C.S. Lewis’s words that were painted on the wall: "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching."

They stuck with her, on and off the field. “As an athlete, what you are doing at practice matters, but it's what you do outside of practice that almost matters more,” she explains. “Starting at Friends and continuing on through college, it was the work I put in outside of practice that made the difference. I loved spending time out on the field shooting during free periods

Much has changed about high school athletics in recent decades, across Baltimore, the nation, and the world.

Today, there is a specialization of studentathletes and an emphasis on club and travel teams beyond school teams.

“These teams are often used for [college sports] recruiting over high school teams, and the influence of club sports across the country has really changed the dynamic of high school sports as a whole,” notes Ken Zalis, Sports Information Director and Assistant Athletic Director.

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With rising college costs, student athletes feel the pressure, at younger ages, to specialize in one sport to increase chances of being recruited and securing a coveted college athletic scholarship. There are specialty sports camps and recruiting events centered on this outcome. "At Friends, however, we focus on athletes' mental health and balancing sports with arts and academics, but the clubs and the travel teams don’t have to think about that,” Zalis says. As a result, Friends has talented seniors recruited to play in college every year, celebrating these achievements with signing days and awards ceremonies.

Each coach and athletic department educator works with athletes to reach their individual goals, while encouraging balance between athletic opportunities through the School and with other organizations. “We talk about the importance and privilege of putting on a Friends jersey,” says Carlin. “It’s an honor to be able to represent your school, play with your classmates, and represent Friends all around town.”

That balance reflects Friends’ holistic emphasis on academics, athletics, and arts, a tradition in place when its first athletes took to the fields in 1925.

Equilibrium in mind, body, and spirit for each athlete means trying and playing lots of sports for self-discovery, skills, and community building, and the physiological best practice for young muscles. A 2019 National Institutes of Health study noted that sports specialization can lead to joint and muscle injuries and an imbalance in muscle development in young athletes from repetitive, one-sided movements, as well as increased risk of injury and burnout. Friends’ culture, requirements, and schedule encourage students to play a variety of sports, like volleyball, tennis, and basketball, for example, for the best outcomes in mental and physical health and personal development.

Today, Friends fields 50 teams across 22 sports, Middle School through Upper School. Over the decades, the School’s athletics offerings and comprehensive programming have evolved, from adding Boys’ Volleyball and Girls’ Indoor Track and Field, to dance programs and Middle School Flag Football. “We [evolve] with the interests of the community, so that kids are staying involved and excited about being here and playing for Friends,” Carlin explains.

Nearly 30 years ago, the Students Supporting Athletics (SSA) group was founded to plan and lead school spirit events like the annual Friday Night Basketball games, which today include Friday Night games for wrestling, lacrosse, squash, baseball, and other sports. Each fall, Scarlet & Gray Day highlights fall athletes and Rivalry Day matchups against Park School, Friends’ fiercest rival.

The Friends School Athletic Hall of Fame, created in 2004, includes alumni athletes and teams who have demonstrated excellence and sportsmanship.

New this year for all Middle School athletes is the monthly Bridge the Gap leadership program in partnership with Johns Hopkins University athletes who

teach leadership skills and character development through online and inperson connections with middle schoolers.

“Our athletes transcend their sport, and we support our students’ passions.”

Athletes a century ago could never have dreamed of today’s digital opportunities to share Friends sports. In 2016, Friends launched @QuakerNation, the studentrun arm of Friends athletics social media.

Three years ago, Quakes on Air began streaming each varsity game on campus.

The new, monthly Quaker Insider highlights games, coaches, and the wellrounded student athletes who also excel academically and artistically.

Whatever the era, whatever the sport, whatever the score, the throughline for Friends athletics over the past century remains the Quaker values and the joy of playing with friends. “It’s the value of respecting everyone for all of what they can bring,” says McGinty, who has watched over three decades of Friends athletes take the fields and courts. “It's the Quaker ideal of [recognizing that of] God in every person and being able to go forth into the real world and find the Light in everyone.

Competition's not a bad thing. We measure that by working towards a given goal of wanting to win a match. It instills resiliency in our students as they go forth into the real world.” ■

Each generation of Friends athletes has embraced service. Today’s teams volunteer at Baltimore nonprofits like Downtown Harlem Lacrosse and Soccer Without Borders, and lead the campus in equipment drives for Leveling the Playing Field. The popular UNICEF Club raised funds through concessions at all Friday Night games and at the Turkey Bowl.

During Upper School Collection, teams share awareness messages about breast cancer, relationship violence through the One Love Foundation, and mental health for student-athletes through Morgan's Message. “A few years ago, the lacrosse team hosted a Support Ukraine night to raise funds for Ukraine,” Carlin reflects.

Emulating the ideals of Quaker values in sports, alumni coaches represent a long tradition in the story of athletics on North Charles Street.

2024-25 COACHES: Katie Capizzi ’18 - US Soccer, US Basketball, and US Softball Isabel Cooke ’16 - US Badminton and US Cross Country Tristin Goodenough ’17 - US Volleyball and US Cheer/Dance Ethan Greene ’14 - US Basketball Keller Handwerk ’24 - US Wrestling Nat Leach ’14 - MS Cross Country Robbie Miller ’08 - MS Flag Football, MS Wrestling, and US Baseball M.C. Mortimer ’20 - US Lacrosse Boni Salmeron ’14 - US Badminton Sophia Springer ’13 - MS Basketball and US Softball Eddie Van Dyke ’14 - US Squash and US Golf Bianca Washington ’15 - MS Soccer Jordan Wright ’10 - US Soccer Will Weinberg ’20 - US Lacrosse Shawn Johnson Jr. ’15 - MS Lacrosse Connor Welsh ’20 - MS Soccer FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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2025 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Friends visual artists are working across all mediums, creating vibrant, innovative work that speaks to society and the soul.

We spoke to five alumni about their artistic start at Friends. draw something and then you translate it into a painting, you’ll actually see that in the painting, that it’s like a copy of something. When I am asked for drawings, I do a digital mock-up of what the painting might look like, which is what I did for the subway installations.

Q. How has Friends shaped you personally?

A. There was a sense of community spirit. We had our lockers open with candy in them. People would say, ‘I have this candy today. Help yourself.’ My son went to Brooklyn Friends School. [Quaker schools] find affirmation for slight differences.

He is an artist and needed a school that would let him be him.

He hung out in the art room after school with the art teacher, and to this day, he preaches Quaker school values.

Lisa Corinne Davis ’76

ABSTRACT PAINTER, PROFESSOR OF ART AND MFA CO-DIRECTOR, HUNTER COLLEGE LISACORINNEDAVIS.COM

I really appreciated Quaker Meetings. I felt like the chaos of the world, whatever state I was in, you just got to stop. The studio functions that way for me, too. I can just leave the world, go into my own space, shut the door, and be in my own head. It’s the kind of refuge in the way that Quaker Meeting was. Being a painter, you’re alone most of the time.

Whatever the world thinks about the glamor around being an artist, most of the time you’re alone in your own thoughts.

Q. What is your current job? What was your career path?

Q. Is there a Friends teacher or staff member who had a significant impact on your life?

A. I’m a painter and professor of art at Hunter College, where I’ve been teaching for 22 years. I’ve always been a painter. I went to Pratt Institute and received my MFA from Hunter College. At Friends, my second grade teacher took us outside with brown paper and sponges and said to paint the landscape. Transferring the landscape to paper was just incredible. I still have this painting and show it when I lecture.

A. My second grade teacher and Gary Blauvelt [Upper School English], who recently passed. We all thought he was the coolest guy on campus.

[Art] was my special spot at Friends. I also was a minority kid when there weren’t a lot [at school], and I had a single parent where there were none. Art class was my place to invent, hide, and be different in a positive way. I’ve never left that path.

Last January, I installed three mosaics in the 68th Street Hunter College Station as part of the NYC Subway art installation project. I went to Hunter and teach there.

My work is abstract and based on ideas of mapping and location, finding locations and being located. Everything I do happens in real time. I don’t draw [beforehand]. If you

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Q. What do you wish you’d taken advantage of at Friends?

A. I kind of did everything: sports, choir, and art. I learned Russian and French and traveled. I did so many extracurriculars; my plate was full. I don’t feel any regrets. I avoided chemistry, so maybe I regret a little bit of that.

Q. How do you stay connected with Friends?

A. Every six weeks or so, six of us from Friends get together on Zoom. We’re super tight. We have different perspectives on the same story, so it fills out our memories a bit. Friends was small, and we knew everyone’s family that we feel like family to this day. Our class tends to have some of the largest populations at the reunions and stays in touch.

Jon Sherman ’89

FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR FLAVOR PAPER, A MADE-TO-ORDER CUSTOM WALLPAPER COMPANY | FLAVORPAPER.COM

Q. What is your current job? What was your career path?

A. I own Flavor Paper, a wallpaper company, which I founded in 2003 after discovering a wallpaper company that had been out of business for years was going to destroy its historic screen-printing equipment.

After Friends, I wrote my own major at Colorado College in environmental science with a focus in water law. I worked as a paralegal in San Francisco, dabbled in graphic design in the music business, then got a master's in entrepreneurship at Tulane University. In New Orleans, I pursued interior design as a hobby while working in real estate development. A friend showed me a wallpaper for her client. I had never seen wallpaper like that before. The wallpaper designer was out of business and getting rid of his screen-printing equipment. I bought the equipment, upgraded it, and never looked back.

We have installed wallpaper all over the world and our designs, including one of mine, are in the permanent collections of several museums. Our innovations include scratch and sniff wallpaper, which is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian.

Q. How has Friends shaped you personally?

A. Friends taught me to be open to all opportunities, embrace change, and take risks. Without those principles, I would never have jumped on the chance to take a defunct business in a dead industry and reinvigorate the market.

I transferred to Friends in 10th grade from a huge school outside of Chicago, where I had been much more concerned with fun than education. Friends made learning more rewarding and drove me toward the personal growth and responsibility I desperately needed. Friends taught me to find the best in all situations and to look for what guides and pulls me in and to go towards whatever that light may be. I did that in a very non-linear fashion, trying things until I found what I liked.

I also learned to give my time to others, which has led me to join several boards, including the Brooklyn Museum Board of Trustees. Sales of our products back New York and New Orleans nonprofits that advocate for LGBTQ+, human rights, underserved youth, food pantries, the arts, and first responders. We donate surplus supplies to local schools and Material for the Arts.

Q. Is there a Friends teacher or staff member who had a significant impact on your life?

A. Mr. Wright [Upper School biology] was my favorite teacher. We bonded over a love of science, silliness, and my typewriter-like penmanship, which made for a perfect pinned

insect display, which I meticulously created by color and size, with tiny handwriting for the labels. I thought about that a lot when Flavor Paper created our pattern, Andy Warhol's “Happy Butterfly Day.” For years Mr. Wright used my collection as an exemplary version.

Q. Do you have a memorable Friends experience?

A. I loved Collection and being able to sit, ponder, and just let my mind drift, which I think is so important to creativity.

You have to allow for that space. That’s the hard part of running a business and trying to be creative. I do most of my creative work late at night when nobody's around.

Teachers sat with us and talked about ideas for a paper or a project and continued to support those ideas until they found their path like a river. I learned that wherever the idea went, you would find your end story and wrap it all up. I use this exercise all the time. I think the rigidity of traditional schooling doesn’t allow that freedom to meander, and the meandering is what inspires a lot of my creativity.

Q. What do you wish you’d taken advantage of at Friends?

A. I never paid any attention to the art classes offered at Friends and wish I had.

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I had a big imagination as a kid and would create intricate stories for my action figures. That’s basically what I'm doing with stop motion. It incorporates all the great things about live action– composition, lighting, costume and design–but you also have the micromanagement of the nitty-gritty details. It’s always magic for me to bring an object to life one frame at a time. I tell younger people, ‘Don't get into animation because you like stop-motion movies. Get into it because you love the process.’

Q. How has Friends shaped you personally?

A. It's really easy in the film industry for life to not be simple.

The Quaker philosophy of simplicity keeps me grounded.

The film industry is very hierarchical, and Quakerism is not.

A few years ago, everybody who had hired me that year had been an intern or assistant on a project I'd worked on. If I'm directing my own projects, I can hire some of the animators who were my original inspirations and influences. It’s all kind of connected with Quakerism because it’s understanding the worth of everybody regardless of hierarchy.

Peter Levin ’97

Q. Is there a Friends teacher or staff member who had a significant impact on your life?

Q. What is your current job? What was your career path?

A. Mr. Blauvelt with English and Ms. Ostrov with art. She taught me not to be precious about things. Once, she had us rip up our artwork and create a new one. I photocopied mine instead and then ripped it up. I think I got a “D.” The lessons where I learned most were when I got the worst grades. Mr. Blauvelt marked me down an entire grade for putting an apostrophe where it wasn’t needed, and I never made that mistake again. But it goes back to my second grade teacher who really instilled storytelling from a very early age.

STOP-MOTION ANIMATOR, WRITER, AND DIRECTOR ANIMATIONS INCLUDE THE OSCARNOMINATED MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON AND PRODUCTIONS FOR EBAY, OAKLEY, THE NEW YORK TIMES, AMAZON PRIME, LEGO, FARMERS INSURANCE, FOO FIGHTERS, MARVEL, DISCOVERY, AND THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES PETELEVINFILMS.COM

A. My work varies project to project. Sometimes I am a stopmotion animator. Sometimes I'm a director, writer, producer, or first assistant director. Our community is small enough that you learn how to wear a lot of different hats.

It’s always been about drawing and storytelling. I wanted to be a newspaper comic strip artist. I taught my class to draw Garfield for the fourth grade talent show. I got into movies when I started drawing imaginary movie posters. I went to film school at New York University and graduated in 2001. I lived about four blocks from Ground Zero and decided to try my hand in L.A. after 9/11.

My first job was for a practical special effects company.

I flocked hair onto an animatronic lion for the movie Secondhand Lions. Then we did Stuck on You with Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, who play conjoined twins. My boss was the same size as Greg, and I'm the same size as Matt, so we built the original costume prototype for us. We taught the actors how to be conjoined twins.

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Q. Do you have a memorable Friends experience?

A. I loved Bazaar. I remember telling my parents Bazaar and Christmas were my two favorite days of the year. They had a big moon bounce house and a great secondhand table of old toys. I found great treasures there.

Q. How do you stay connected with Friends?

A. I text almost every day with about five friends from my class, mostly about baseball. I’ve been doing animation for the Orioles’ jumbotron since the 2010 season. I'm also a baseball card collector and don't want to throw away any of my Orioles stop-motion props. I donated one several years ago to a Friends auction.

Gant Powell Jr. ’03

CREATIVE DIRECTOR INDECOR HOME, A SUPPLIER OF BATHROOM ACCESSORIES TO NATIONAL RETAILERS IN THE US AND CANADA; DESIGNER FOR FABRICS AND WALLPAPER AT SPOONFLOWER SPOONFLOWER.COM/PROFILES/GANTPOWELL

Q. What is your current job? What was your career path?

A. I am the Creative Director at Indecor Home in Brooklyn, where I manage a team of five designers. I was one of two senior designers when it was a smaller company and have helped grow the business into what it is today—a journey that’s been both challenging and incredibly rewarding.

I studied illustration at MICA [Maryland Institute College of Art] and learned to draw in repeat, a foundational skill in surface design that led me to my current career. I had some early success as an editorial illustrator, with work published in outlets like The Wall Street Journal Weekend Journal. But freelancing took a toll on my mental health, so I entered the MFA program in Illustration as Visual Essay at School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Her goal was to teach us how to see specifically [and to understand] the thinking process that has to happen for that.

She gave me a lot of space to experiment with different kinds of art making and visual language. She taught us the critique process with our first class. You draw something, you put it up, everyone has to talk about it. Most importantly, you have to talk about it first to everybody else. I owe her a lot of what my confidence is and for the healthy distance I have with my creative work.

Ms. Charlier [Academic Dean] was also very important.

I was a young gay man with ADHD, and her patience, guidance, and ability to see my potential meant the world.

She held me accountable while still making me feel supported and seen, and helped me understand complex high school personal conflicts with compassion and clarity.

Mr. McVey [Choral Music], Concert Chorale, Chamber Choir, and the school musicals were huge parts of my Friends experience. Through those music programs, I formed some of my closest friendships. They were a consistent source of confidence, joy, and pride for me.

There, I received advice: ‘Follow the work. Don’t force the work to follow you.’ That guidance has shaped my perspective, although I didn’t understand it at the time.

Careers aren’t linear, and adaptability is key.

Q. How has Friends shaped you personally?

A. Ms. Ostrov [Upper School art] taught me how to give and receive constructive critique as an artist, a skill I use every day at work and in my personal life. Friends is where I started exploring who I am as a person. I tried on a lot of ideas and identities there and was lucky to have faculty and friends who were patient, non-judgmental, and focused on my safety and personal growth. I try to carry that support with me and pass it on, which comes directly from the strength of community I felt at Friends.

Friends taught me how to look inward—to know myself thoroughly, to question what’s authentic, and what can be let go. We keep discovering new things about ourselves at every age—sometimes big things—and we need people around us who can hold space for that.

Q. Is there a Friends teacher or staff member who had a significant impact on your life?

A. Ms. Ostrov had a big impact. She was the faculty advisor to GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) and taught the art majors, so I spent a lot of time in that attic studio in Upper School. Without her encouragement, I don’t think I would’ve had the confidence or even the awareness to apply to fine arts programs.

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Q. What do you wish you’d taken advantage of at Friends?

A. I was offered so many opportunities at Friends I’m not sure I would have had anywhere else. I was head of GLSEN with my friend Jacob Wilcock ’03, and we even attended the leadership conference together. I was part of Chamber Choir and got to tour Austria and Germany.

Q. How do you stay connected with Friends?

A. Some of my closest friends today are my Friends classmates.

It's nice to have that touchstone and established history. The Quaker values—pacifism, activism, social justice—continue to shape how I see the world and respond to it. After MICA, I attended Meeting for Worship at Homewood, then later at Stony Run. When I moved to New York, I became a regular at Brooklyn Friends Meeting. Those practices and principles continue to guide me. It’s about creating space for yourself to meditate and center and think. There's a lot of different ways to interpret the still, small voice that the Quakers talk about.

It can feel a little bit silly to ask what the spiritual center of [your art] is, but it can be very grounding.

Emilio Martinez Poppe ’12

VISUAL ARTIST WITH WORK IN PHOTOGRAPHY, SCULPTURE, TEXT, AND INSTALLATIONS CIVIC ARTS PROGRAM COORDINATOR, NEW YORK CULTURAL AFFAIRS; VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, PRATT INSTITUTE; STUDIO FELLOW, WHITNEY INDEPENDENT STUDY PROGRAM EMILIOMARTINEZPOPPE.COM

Q. What is your current job? What was your career path?

A. My creative practice begins with social investigation, usually around topics related to labor and working conditions.

It is informed by documentary practices and can take many different forms: sculptures, photography installations, text written pieces. As an artist and a cultural worker, my interest is in amplifying existing practices and conditions that reveal what brings us together and cuts across differences.

My most recent exhibit was in the Philadelphia City Hall Courtyard, part of my recent University of Pennsylvania master’s dual degree in fine arts and city planning. I installed a series of photographs that take the viewer through the windows of various Philadelphia City agency offices. The photos were printed to scale and mounted on scaffolding (representing the changes Philadelphia is undergoing) and accompanied by my interview excerpts from more than 30 city employees across 20 agencies about what it means to be a public servant in Philadelphia. The photos reference the oldest surviving photograph in the U.S., a daguerreotype of Central High School in Philadelphia, taken by Joseph Saxton in 1839, who worked for the U.S. Mint.

Now I work for the Department of Cultural Affairs in New York where I manage and support the installation of public artworks by artists across the city. I studied visual art at Cooper Union at a moment of political activity at Cooper on the heels of Occupy Wall Street. Cooper’s new leadership was considering charging tuition at the historically free university, and the undergraduates led the movement to uphold the tradition of free tuition. I noticed a sharp division between art making, art studies, and the movement, and wanted to understand why it couldn't be more integrated.

That question motivated all my pursuits for what’s called a socially engaged art practice going forward.

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My first project was for the Queens Museum Biennial: a large-scale projection of the panorama of New York City from the 1964 World’s Fair scale model. That model had tremendous infrastructural development, reinforcing certain racial divisions, unjust planning, and the use of highways to create segmentation across New York. My project created a counter archive to this. This led me to the city planning field and an aspiration for using its tools to advance social justice, equity, and housing affordability, and how I see the connection between arts and culture and the way that we live together.

Q. How has Friends shaped you personally?

A. The Quaker value of service definitely is central. Beyond the built-in service days, there’s a disposition that is cultivated to care for and attend to our collective experience, our collective learning experience, our collective experience of maturing. Friends teaches us to be present of how different our processes are from one another. Understanding that the well-being of others is necessary for your own and that we are made up by the people around us is a motivating value that I've carried with me from Friends.

Q. Is there a Friends teacher or staff member who had a significant impact on your life?

A. My Upper School art teachers, Erin Hall ’98, Benjamin Roach, and Lynn Ostrov, who introduced me to conceptual art. The way that Ms. Ostrov exposed us to thinking about art making as a practice and not as aiming to create perfect final objects really got me thinking in the way that I do today. Deb Kinder, who taught environmental science, fostered my interest in environmentalism and nurtured my interest in advocacy and social transformation.

Q. Do you have a notable Friends experience?

A. Ms. Kinder got me involved with the Baltimore City Youth Environmental Council. Kids from different schools planned an environmental career fair in 2010. The other big highlight was going to New York because I won a national Scholastic Awards arts medal for a cool sculpture I made in Erin Hall ’98’s photography class. I was applying to Cooper, so going to New York City for that event was a kind of bridge in my art-making.

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D.E.I. Nourish and Flourish: Quakerism and DEI at Friends School Rooted in Quaker Values Quakerism at Friends School begins with accessibility and reflection. By making Quaker principles approachable for students of all backgrounds, the School invites each child to explore their own spiritual journey—one that honors individuality, fosters curiosity, and cultivates compassion. Practices such as Meeting for Worship and quiet reflection help students listen deeply, consider multiple perspectives, and recognize the Light within every person.

The Quaker testimonies—simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship—anchor all that we do. They are the steady foundation from which our DEI work grows and flourishes.

At Friends School of Baltimore, we believe that truth is continually revealed and that our work as a community must evolve alongside it. Over the past year, this belief inspired a close collaboration between the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), led by Whittney Preston, Ed.d., and the Office of Quaker Life, led by Anna Melville ’01, to more deeply explore the relationship between Quakerism and DEI. Together, they have engaged students, faculty, and families in conversations and programming designed to illuminate how these two core commitments are not separate efforts, but interconnected expressions of our values in action.

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The Presence of Difference and the Power of Belonging We strive to be a community where everyone can live out their full identity and be cherished and respected for every aspect of it. We seek this goal for the benefit of all members of our community, not simply those who identify as part of a marginalized group. We recognize and honor differences of thought, experience, culture, and identity. We encourage respect for the variety of beliefs and backgrounds represented on our campus, through day-to-day activities, curriculum, and school-wide celebrations. We know that young people thrive when they are allowed to learn in an environment where they will be supported by adults and by their peers.

Together, these principles guide how we learn and live alongside one another. They call us to listen carefully, to act with empathy, and to ensure that every member of our community feels valued.

A Shared Vision: Quakerism and DEI in Partnership The relationship between Quakerism and DEI can be imagined as a tree: The roots—our Quaker faith—nourish and sustain us.

The trunk—our community—provides strength and structure.

The branches—our DEI work—reach outward and upward, visible through our actions and growth.

This living metaphor reflects our belief that Quakerism and DEI are not parallel efforts, but partners in shaping the character of Friends School. Both honor each child’s unique journey, provide tools for reflection and discernment, and promote the values that make our community strong and compassionate.

Diversity of Thought: Listening and Learning Together

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At the heart of both Quakerism and DEI is a commitment to diversity of thought. Students are encouraged to welcome differing perspectives, speak authentically, and engage in civil discourse grounded in respect. They learn to reflect before reacting and to seek understanding over certainty.

This approach is woven throughout the Friends experience— in the classroom, during Meeting for Worship, and through opportunities such as advocacy workshops, leadership programs, and student-led dialogue initiatives.

Belonging: Living Our Values in Community A culture of belonging is essential to the health of any community.

At Friends, belonging means creating spaces where every student, teacher, and family feels safe, respected, and included.

This commitment comes to life through restorative practices, community conversations, DEI Days across divisions, and opportunities for continued education and reflection. Students and faculty also engage in regional and national programs—such as Close Up Foundation workshops and the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools Middle School Diversity Conference—that extend the work of inclusion beyond campus.

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Rooted and Reaching When Quaker values and DEI principles come together, they form a living, evolving tradition—one that grows from deep roots and reaches outward in ever-widening and extending branches.

“The work we do is not separate—it moves together in tandem.

DEI supports Quakerism, and Quakerism strengthens our DEI work,” Preston says. “Embracing a diversity of thoughts and perspectives better prepares our students for healthy discourse in their adult lives. My hope is that we continue to cultivate curious individuals who have the skills to engage thoughtfully with those who see the world differently, while remaining grounded in a sense of unity.” At Friends School, we continue to nurture this relationship with intention and care, ensuring that our community remains both grounded and growing, nourished and flourishing. ■

3 1. Friends Committee on National Legislation campus chapter visits Washington, D.C.; 2. The Asian Student Union presents at Collection during the Lunar New Year celebration, and held a series of challenges for their peers; 3. Whittney Preston, Ed.d., teaching a lesson during Upper School DEI Day.

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ACADEMICS STRENGTHENING EDUCATIONAL TIES:

Friends School of Baltimore and Goucher College Announce Transformative Partnership Friends School of Baltimore and Goucher College are embarking on a transformative partnership designed to expand opportunities for students, faculty, and staff while fostering a deeper connection between the two organizations. With a shared commitment to academic excellence and access, this collaboration aims to enrich the educational experience for both communities and provide financial support for higher education.

20% discount on Goucher’s graduate tuition, complementing the tuition assistance already provided by Friends School to eligible recipients, which varies up to 75%. This benefit is set to begin in fall 2025 and underscores the institutions’ commitment to professional growth and development.

Looking ahead, the collaboration may also introduce dual enrollment opportunities, allowing Friends students to take courses and earn college credit, further enhancing their academic preparation.

At the heart of this partnership is a focus on opening doors for Friends students. Starting with the Class of 2025, students in good academic standing are guaranteed admission to Goucher College and a $32,000 annual merit scholarship.

This initiative reflects the strong academic preparation and values instilled at Friends School that make graduates well-positioned to thrive in Goucher’s rigorous and dynamic educational environment.

This initiative builds on a rich history of collaboration between the two institutions. Friends students and graduates have long been part of Goucher’s community. Generations of alumni have attended Goucher and served on their leadership boards, while students have joined faculty in classes and participated in the Russian Olympiada.

“This partnership reflects our shared belief in the importance of access to education and preparing students for success in college and beyond,” said Josh Carlin, 12th Grade Dean and Coordinator of the University Partnership Program.

“We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Goucher College, a like-minded institution that shares our commitment to fostering curiosity, creativity, and intellectual growth.” –JOSH CARLIN

Beyond the guaranteed admissions program, the partnership includes several other elements designed to strengthen ties and support the broader school community. Friends students will continue to benefit from learning experiences with Goucher faculty, with plans to increase collaboration between the two campuses. Additionally, Friends faculty and staff will enjoy expanded opportunities for professional development with a

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Dr. Michael Marshall, Vice President for Enrollment & Student Success at Goucher College, emphasized the significance of the collaboration: “This innovative partnership strengthens our relationship by making a high-quality education more accessible to talented individuals in our backyard.”

This partnership also aligns with the mission of Friends

academics ⊲

Goucher's Mary Fisher Hall, renovated in 2018, is the geographical and social heart of campus, and home to the Office of Student Engagement.

School’s University Partnership Program, launched in 2011, which connects students with thought leaders and researchers and provides students with on-site college research experiences nationwide. Previous collaborations include partnerships with Duke University’s Haiti Lab and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, providing Friends students with opportunities to develop

real-world problem-solving and leadership skills.

By working together, Friends School and Goucher College are setting the stage for a brighter future, offering transformative opportunities to students, families, and educators while reinforcing their shared commitment to educational excellence. ■

Upper School Students Participate in Math League Competition The Math League is an organization that hosts a series of six monthly contests, each consisting of six mathematically complex questions that students have 30 minutes to complete. During the 2024-25 academic year, 37 schools in Maryland competed, including Friends School. Here are the exciting results: • Friends School came in fourth out of 37 schools in the state of Maryland • Friends School came in second out of 16 schools in Baltimore City and Baltimore County combined • Friends School came in first in Baltimore City • Adam N. '25 was the top-scoring senior from Friends School • Aiden Y. '26 was the top-scoring junior from Friends School • Quinn M. '27 was the top-scoring sophomore from Friends School • Aiden Y. '26 was the highest cumulative scoring student from Friends School, and he was the fifth scoring student in the state

Aiden Y. ’26

Quinn M. ’27

Adam N. ’25

We would also like to recognize Aiden Y. '26 for his performance in the University of Maryland (UMD) Competition. UMD hosts an annual mathematics competition for high school students in two parts. In October 2024, 1,265 students competed in Part I; then, only 246 of those students qualified to take Part II. Aiden qualified for Part II, and he was in the top 12% of students who competed. ■ FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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Science Meets Sound: The Physics of Music in 6th Grade Collaboration often leads to some of the most memorable learning experiences. In the winter of 2024, cross-disciplinary exploration came to life when Upper School science teacher Vik Polyak joined Middle School general music teacher Rebecca Rossello ’92 for a lesson that brought together the worlds of physics and music.

As part of Rossello’s annual sixth grade instrument-making project, students learn how sound is produced and explore the unique timbres of instruments from around the world. Before creating their own designs, they study the five main instrument families—idiophones, membranophones, chordophones, aerophones, and electrophones—and experiment with how vibration, air, and materials affect the sounds we hear.

Polyak’s visit deepened that exploration.

Drawing from their background in applied physics and research in acoustic wave phenomena, Polyak led a handson lesson about the physics of sound, covering concepts such as wave motion, resonance, amplitude, and frequency.

With experience from an internship at the Army Research Lab’s SEAP-CQL program, where they studied how sound waves can move energy and even suppress fire, Polyak brings a real-world understanding of how physics shapes

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the world around us. Just one hour of Polyak’s incredible hands-on knowledge and enthusiasm inspired two months of construction, experimentation, and discovery among students. That same curiosity now drives their teaching, helping students see how science, creativity, and exploration intersect.

In the classroom, those ideas took shape as students explored standing waves, interference, and the Doppler effect, connecting each principle to familiar sounds like the pluck of a guitar string or the hum of a passing car. The lesson helped students grasp complex scientific ideas in concrete ways and inspired those who hadn’t previously seen themselves as particularly interested in science. Rossello noted how the collaboration encouraged students to approach physics and music with new confidence, explaining that: “we are touching momentarily on these huge concepts in the hope that we inspire curiosity that continues into the more in-depth studies of these concepts in seventh and eighth grade maths and sciences—and into high school.”

After Polyak’s visit, sixth graders applied their new understanding in the culminating instrument-making project.

Using found materials, they designed and built original instruments, ranging from maracas and stringed instruments to wind and hybrid creations, carefully

considering how the principles of physics influenced their design choices.

Each student presented their finished instrument twice: first as a “marketing pitch” to a potential manufacturer and then as a scientific presentation analyzing how vibration, resonance, and sound waves contributed to its tone and function.

The classroom buzzed with creativity as students tested their instruments, experiencing firsthand the scientific principles they had studied. The collaboration between Rossello and Polyak exemplified Friends School’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning—where art and science intersect and where discovery becomes deeply personal.

Looking ahead, the teachers plan to expand this partnership. Polyak currently teaches a similar physicsand-music lesson to Upper School students in their Special Topics in Physics class, exploring the same concepts with greater mathematical rigor. The goal is for Upper School students to work with the sixth graders during their instrument project, building bridges across grade levels and reinforcing how science and art continually inform one another. ■

academics ⊲

GATHER AND GROW:

Middle School Faculty Deepen Their Practice Through Collaboration Faculty even completed exercises on identifying their own character strengths—an activity that deepened empathy for how students experience learning. As one faculty member reflected: “It’s refreshing to learn practical strategies in a space where we can ask questions openly and hear what’s working in other classrooms.”

The group’s discussions inspired tangible changes across the division. For example, a conversation about work habits led to rethinking how the Middle School assesses and communicates expectations to students and families.

A Collaborative, Supportive Culture

Professional Development isn't just an event at Friends School of Baltimore — it’s a culture. This past academic year, the Middle School faculty launched Gather and Grow, a new professional learning series designed to foster collaboration, reflection, and growth among teachers.

The idea took shape in August 2024, when Middle School Learning Specialist Emily Bartz proposed using select Wednesday afternoons for short, focused sessions on teaching and learning. With enthusiastic support from faculty and leadership, Gather and Grow came to life. By the end of the school year, Middle School faculty had completed more than eight hours of in-house professional development.

A Vision of Proactive Support Principal, PK–8 Heidi Hutchison, played an instrumental role in bringing the program to fruition. Her vision reflected a philosophical shift in how the division approached student success: prioritizing teacher education as a primary means of student support. This approach aligned with the School’s evolving focus on student services, emphasizing teamwork, empathy, and a deeper understanding of diverse learning needs.

Meaningful Learning Experiences Each Gather and Grow session centered around a theme relevant to classroom practice. The inaugural session featured Dr. Beth Bodnar ’95, a psychologist who spoke about teaching students with Autism. Over the course of the year, sessions explored topics such as executive functioning, differentiation, and strategies for keeping students focused and engaged.

The program was a true team effort. While Bartz coordinated and led many sessions, Megan Wilberton, Middle School English teacher, Erin Zimmerman Hall, Middle School Assistant Principal, and Shelly Watts, Middle School Assistant Principal, helped with organization and facilitation. Hutchison, also reinforced her support for the initiative.

Faculty also played an active role in shaping the program’s content—submitting topics of interest and even volunteering to lead future sessions. “It’s a nonjudgmental space,” Bartz noted.

“Teachers feel comfortable exploring challenges and learning from one another.”

“It’s impressive. Our teachers genuinely want to grow” – HEIDI HUTCHISON, PRINCIPAL, PK–8 Looking Ahead As the 2024–25 school year came to a close, Gather and Grow had explored a range of topics, including the science of learning, creativity in the classroom, and differentiation for advanced learners. There were even discussions about expanding the series to include faculty from other divisions.

Bartz and Hutchison plan to share the program at the upcoming National Association of Independent Schools Thrive Conference, a testament to the innovative, facultydriven professional culture continuing at Friends.

The year concluded not just with new skills and ideas, but with celebration—honoring the faculty’s collective commitment to their students and to one another. ■

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Eve F. ’26 wins Towson University’s Creative Writing Contest for high school students. The Friends School community took a happy moment this spring to celebrate Eve F. ’26 and the high school creative writing contest she won for her piece, "No Webbed Feet!” The contest, run

by Towson University, is open to all Maryland high school students. Eve's winning piece will be included in Volume 74 of the University's student-run Grub Street Literary Magazine.

Cum Laude and Merit Scholars Cum Laude Society Inductees Congratulations to our nine newest members of the Cum Laude Society, which recognizes academic achievement for the purpose of promoting excellence, justice, and honor.

From left to right, flanked by Head of School Christian Donovan and Upper School Principal Brandon Rogers: Adam N. ’25; Chloe L. ’25; Asa A. ’25; Sora K. ’25; Ramsey K. ’25; Adina N.-T. ’25; and Henry T. ’25; not pictured, Ella P. ’25 and Noah P. ’25

National Merit Commended Students Congratulations to our seven National Merit Commended students, who scored in the top 3-4% of all test-takers nationwide on the PSAT. From left to right: Caroline T. ’25; Elaina P. ’25; Ella P. ’25; Chloe L. ’25; Yipeng L. ’25; Connor H. ’25; Asa A. ’25

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academics ⊲ Academic Awards SENIOR AWARDS The Letitia M. Stockett English Award: Ella P., Caroline T. The Joan Alma Eckert '49 Award: Natalie T., Ella W. The Proficiency and Sustained Effort in the Study of Latin: Sachin R.

NATIONAL SPANISH HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTEES CLASS OF 2025: Caroline T., Isabella W., Adina N-T., Ella P., Adam N., Noah J., Ivan G., Rhyan T., Asa A., Khalil L., Samuel G. B., Sora K., Todd A., Mason C., Chloe L.

The Proficiency and Sustained Effort in the Study of Spanish: Vanya G., Chloe L. The Claire G. Walker Award for Excellence in the Study of Russian: Connor H. The Eleanor D. Mace Award for Excellence in the Study of History: Vanya G. The Eugene Denk/Bliss Forbush Jr. Award for Proficiency in Mathematics: Connor H. The Alvin S. Chilcoat Award for the Student Showing the Most Growth in the Study of Mathematics: Tommy W. The William S. Pike Award in the Study of Science: Sora K. The Award for Proficiency and Sustained Effort in the Field of Art: Isa W., Isabelle R. The Christopher R. McGraw Dramatics Award for Appreciation, Understanding, and Contribution to the Theatre: Asa A., Mai B., Vanya G. The Gerry L. Gomprecht Award: Khalil L. The Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Vocal Music Program: Henry T., Chloe L., Elaina P. Adrian M. Cephas Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Friends School Instrumental Music Program: Sam P., Noah J., Braeden D., Louisa S. The Isabel Woods Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Friends School Music Department: Adina N-T., Sachin R. The Friends New Media for Social Impact Award: Natalie T., Ella P., Caroline T. The Award for Independent Enrichment Through Reading: Sora K. The Friends School Proficiency in Dance Award: Tatyana D., Victoria C. Recognition of Student Senate Leadership: Khadejah A., Henry T. The Award for Outstanding Contribution to Quaker Values at Friends School: Ella P., Asa A., Khalil L. The Bliss Forbush, Sr. Award for Spirit of Fellowship: Chloe L., Victoria C., Caroline T.

NATIONAL FRENCH HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTEES:

Class of 2026: Mubarak (Barak) A., Asha C., Giuliana C., Zoe H., Benjamin L., Jack M., Luke R., Hannah R., Lucas R., Elia S., Abigail S., Oliver W., Dinghui (Ryan) X.

NATIONAL FRENCH CONTEST FRENCH 1 Honorable Mention: John F. ’28 FRENCH 2 Honorable Mention: Ray Q. ’28, Charlotte R. ’28, Hiero K. ’28, Jayden B. ’28, Dean D. ’28, Jasmine B. ’27, Lucy G. ’27, Zoe K. ’27, Catherine S. ’28, Victoria A. ’27

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF RUSSIAN (ACTR) NATIONAL RUSSIAN ESSAY CONTEST LEVEL 2 (BEGINNER) Bronze Medal: Ammar M. ’28 Silver Medal: Sully F. ’28, Owen R. ’28, Paxton S. ’28 LEVEL 3 (INTERMEDIATE) Honorable Mention: Alexander K. ’27 Bronze Medal: Ferris M. ’27, Alexei Z. ’27 Silver Medal: Charlotte A. ’27, Ellisah C. ’27, Miles C. ’27 Gold Medal: Penelope C. ’27 LEVEL 4 AND LEVEL 5 (ADVANCED) Bronze Medal: Jacob B. ’26, Neil C. ’26, Sincere H. ’26 Silver Medal: Asish C. ’26, Amira D. ’26, Sebastian E. ’26, Maya E. ’26, Noah L. ’25, Sam P. ’25, Lincoln S. ’26, Tommy W. ’25, Maya W. ’25 Gold Medal: Nicholas B. ’26, Leah F. ’26, Connor H. ’25, Hannah P. ’26, Olivia P ’26., Sasha R. ’26

Silver Medal: Cary D. ’28, Alex B. ’28

ACTR MARYLAND OLYMPIADA OF SPOKEN RUSSIAN

FRENCH 3 Honorable Mention: Eve F. ’26, Bailey G. ’27, Jasmine R. ’27, Kayla G. ’27, Elia S. ’26 Silver Medal: Lucas R. ’26, Zuri D. ’27, Meredith P. ’28, Arthur F-P. ’28 Gold Medal: Graysen L. ’28

LEVEL 2 REGULAR LEARNERS (9TH GRADERS) Bronze Medal: Owen R. ’28 Silver Medal: Sullivan R. ’28, Ammar M. ’28, Paxton S. ’28 Gold Medal: Anastazia A. ’28

FRENCH 4 Honorable Mention: Oliver W. ’26, Giuliana C. ’26, Hannah R. ’26, Abby S. ’26, Luke R. ’26, Quinn M. ’27, Kofi H-R. ’27, Ingrid L. ’26, Asha C. ’26, Zoe H. ’26 Silver Medal: Liane L. ’26

LEVEL 3 REGULAR LEARNERS (10TH GRADERS) Bronze Medal: Alexander K. ’27 Silver Medal: Miles C. ’27, Ferris M. ’27 Gold Medal: Charlotte A. ’27, Penelope C. ’27, Ellisah C. ’27

Bronze Medal: Luca R. ’28, Simon L. ’28, Ish K. ’28

LEVEL 4 REGULAR LEARNERS (11TH GRADERS) Honorable Mention: Asish C. ’26 Bronze Medal: Neil C. ’26, Hannah P. ’26 Silver Medal: Amira D. ’26, Sebastian E. ’26, Lincoln S. ’26 Gold Medal: Jacob B. ’26, Nicholas B. ’26, Sincere H. ’26, Olivia P. ’26 LEVEL 4 HERITAGE LEARNERS (11TH GRADERS) Gold Medal: Leah F. ’26

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ARTS 2025 FAY KARFGIN STEPHENS ’59 VISITING ARTIST

Sherry Insley

The 2025 Fay Karfgin Stephens ’59 Visiting Artist, Sherry Insley, works in a variety of photographic processes, documenting the natural world and exploring the ideas of impermanence, the passing of time, and memory. She is a local Baltimorean, a teacher at Carver Center for the Arts and Technology in Towson, and the mother of our very own Jasper M. ’27. She is active in the local art community, engaging in residencies and exhibiting frequently.

Most recently, her work could be seen in the “Off the Web” exhibit at the Peale Museum in Baltimore. Her exhibit, “ephemera,” was on display in the School's Katz Gallery from February to April, 2025. Her visit and exhibit were made possible by The Class of 1989 Visiting Scholars Program and the Fay Karfgin Stephens ’59 Art Lecture fund, gifted during the 2020-2021 school year and first used during the 2021-2022 school year.

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UPPER SCHOOL FALL PLAY: TRAP

STUDENT RUN PLAY: CLUE

MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL: SPONGE BOB

UPPER SCHOOL MUSICAL: MEAN GIRLS

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Nêhiyaw (Cree) Interdisciplinary Artist Visits Lower School In November, the Lower School hosted Angela Miracle Gladue, a Nêhiyaw (Cree) performing artist and educator. Gladue is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and traditional beadwork artist from amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta - Treaty 6 territory) and is a member of Frog Lake First Nation. She has over 20 years of professional dance experience and has performed throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and North Africa since 2003. Gladue believes in a responsibility to share the knowledge she has gained and continues to pursue cultural dance education while using her existing skills to mentor others so they can succeed. She spoke to the students about cultural dance and can be seen in the photo to the right performing a Jingle Dress Dance.

Middle School students in the spring dance concert.

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arts ⊲

Friends All-School Orchestra Spring Performance

The Making of a Full Symphony at Friends School This year marked a milestone for Friends’ music program as the Upper School Wind Ensemble and the Upper School String Orchestra joined forces for the first time, creating a full symphony orchestra reminiscent of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Responding to years of student enthusiasm for such a collaboration, Band Director Wade Zagurski and Orchestra Director Kirsten Walsh worked together to make the ambitious vision a reality. With more than 80 musicians filling every inch of the stage, the ensemble delivered an unforgettable, powerful performance featuring selections from Star Wars.

The combined orchestra showcased the incredible talent and teamwork of our Upper School musicians.

Friends Students Gain Noteworthy Experiences with the BSYO The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) released a video promoting their youth programming, including the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra (BSYO), with junior Oliver W. ’26 featured as one of the students taking advantage of these wonderful offerings. Oliver also had the unique opportunity to play with Yo-Yo Ma during a special BSYO performance. Friends is also proud to have five additional students who are part of the BSYO, including Julia R. ’27, Clara W. ’27, Charlotte A. ’27, Agnes L. ’31, and Eleanor E. ’31.

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Q: Why did you choose Friends and/or what do you love about teaching at Friends?

A: I chose Friends because, as an alumna, I felt very inspired while I was here.

I loved all of my classes in Upper School. I was a Music Major and an Art Major.

I wrote a research paper on a book titled Hitler’s Willing Executioners and read Maus and Peggy McIntosh’s Unpacking the Knapsack of White Privilege. I was in the Animal Rights Club and the Acoustic Club. I felt like I was living my full life as a student and I thought it would be a nice place to work where I could be my full, authentic self, attempt to live what I believe in, and also fill my life up with art.

I felt like Quakers, historically, were good role models and had a lot to teach me.

Q. What do you love about teaching your subject in particular?

ARTS FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

ERIN HALL ’98 Art teacher at Friends School since 2007

A: I love thinking about the ways that we engage with our social and political worlds through visual images. I love talking about the visual worlds of students and tying that into a history of image-making. I want to help students realize the power they have to make images and tell stories that matter, that humanize us to each other. I also think art making, getting lost in a process, can relieve stress and give an outlet for some of the things that happen in the other parts of their days. Art making, and making in general, can help balance out our daily lives. The mind is activated in different ways when you are concentrating on the thing right in front of you.

Q. How do the Upper School art curriculum and teaching at Friends School prepare students to be successful?

A: The Upper School art curriculum builds visual literacy, allowing students to be critical of the things they see and encounter in the world. Art making is often jumping into the unknown. It is giving form to things that are formless.

It can be scary or intimidating. Coping with that, developing strategies, and being open to the continuing revelation of a piece of art or an artistic practice, is humbling. It also gives them an outlet, a way to bring joy or balance to their lives. The joy of making things, of sharing things with others, or working through an issue, feels pretty good.

Q. What is something fun about you - a motto or hobby, perhaps?

A: I have a secret affinity for reality television. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I’m willing to watch. I think I have watched every season (24?) of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. ■

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Friends Students Shine Bright at The Great Halloween Lantern Parade The Saturday before Halloween, Upper School sculpture classes made their debut at The Great Halloween Lantern Parade & Festival in Patterson Park, produced by Creative Alliance and Friends of Patterson Park.

After weeks of careful planning, design, and collaboration in the Upper School Makerspace, complete with test runs for Lower School students and a presentation at Collection, students proudly unveiled their illuminated sculptures to the Baltimore community.

The evening was whimsical and full of light, with many members of the Friends community gathered to cheer them on.

This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Great Halloween Lantern Parade, a beloved Baltimore tradition that brings neighbors together to celebrate creativity, community, and the beauty of Patterson Park. Originally started to strengthen community bonds and advocate for preserving green space, the parade has grown into one of the city’s most imaginative and collaborative art events. The 2024 celebration featured a full day of festivities, including crafts, local food vendors, and kids’ activities, culminating in a sunset parade of more than 1,500 handmade lanterns created by schools and community groups across Baltimore.

Although the parade itself didn’t have an official theme this year, Friends students

brought their own creative vision to the event. Using the Quaker process to reach consensus, students chose to merge the worlds of Alice in Wonderland and The Nightmare Before Christmas into a unified concept that reflected both whimsy and imagination.

Under the guidance of Upper School art teacher Sean Tonkin, students spent weeks experimenting with materials and construction techniques.

Traditionally, lanterns are made from natural materials, such as bamboo and paper, but Friends students combined basket-weaving materials, PVC pipe, and durable medical exam paper, which created a soft, glowing effect when illuminated. Tonkin encouraged students to approach the project as both artists and problem-solvers—considering how to make their lanterns stable, transportable, and weather-resistant.

“The students really took ownership of the project,” said Tonkin. “I was there to support and guide them, but they did the research, made decisions together, and learned through trial and error.”

Once complete, students carefully disassembled and transported the lanterns to Patterson Park, where they were reassembled before students joined the parade lineup. Families and friends were invited to walk alongside, creating a wonderful sense of community. “At its heart, the Lantern Parade is about people coming together,” Tonkin said.

arts ⊲ The project also sparked excitement in the Lower School, where students were invited into the Makerspace to watch the lantern-building process and experience the sculptures glowing in the dark. In Lower School, art teacher Jennifer Mesaros brought the parade into her own classroom projects by having students repurpose recycled plastic bottles into their own lanterns.

“We focused on stewardship—taking care of our community and environment through art,” Mesaros said. “I wanted students to see how their work could be part of something bigger, a celebration that connects art and community.”

Following the success of this first Friends School appearance, Tonkin hopes to make the Lantern Parade an annual project and expand collaboration between divisions. “Next year, we’d love to have Lower School students help with the building process,” he said. “And I’d like to explore new construction methods, maybe even welding, to push our designs further.”

As the lanterns faded from view and the night drew to a close, one thing was clear: Friends students had brightened more than just the park—they illuminated the spirit of creativity and community that defines both the parade and the School itself. ■

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ATHLETICS STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS

2024-2025 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: IAAM VARSITY TENNIS MIAA JUNIOR VARSITY SOCCER

FOLLOW US

→ FSB Livestreams sporting

events each school year! sportsengineplay.com/Maryland/ Friends-School-of-Baltimore

→ @quakernation on

Instagram celebrates all aspects of athletics at Friends including game schedules, college signings, and accomplishments by our student-athletes.

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LULU M. ’25 REACHES 1,000 POINTS MILESTONE Congratulations to Lulu M. ’25, who scored her 1,000th career point during a thrilling IAAM Varsity Basketball victory. The milestone basket came as Lulu led her team to a hard-fought 46-41 win. “I feel like I’ve come a long way as a player,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without my coach. And I’ve had to learn to trust myself. I feel that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was, but I have gained confidence and believe I can do it.” A true tri-sport athlete, Lulu will continue her athletic career at Skidmore College next year, where she'll join the softball program. ■

2025 MCCORMICK UNSUNG HEROES In May 2025, student-athletes Quentin S. ’25 and Ella W. ’25 were honored as 2025 McCormick Unsung Heroes. Ella, a lacrosse star here on the fields at Friends, will attend Furman University next year. Quentin, who will attend Rochester Institute of Technology next year, was a master on the courts with his basketball skills. The Unsung Heroes program recognizes unselfish student-athletes and honors those who substantially contribute to the success of their school without receiving acclaim. Originally established in 1940 by former McCormick & Company Chairman Charles P. McCormick Sr., the program is reflective of McCormick & Company's core belief in the Power of People. ■

athletics ⊲ IA AM & MIA A ALLCONFERENCE AWARDS All-Conference awards honor individual athletic accomplishments. These studentathletes are nominated by their coaches and voted for by coaches of opposing teams. They have earned the recognition as the top athletes of their respective sports.

IAAM CROSS COUNTRY: Daphne M-K. ’26 IAAM VOLLEYBALL: Morgan T-S. ’26 and

Yamece C-L. ’26 IAAM TENNIS: All V Starters

#2 Singles: Isabelle R. ’25; #1 Doubles: Asha C. ’26 and Ella P. ’25; #2 Doubles: Vanya G. ’25 and Romy C. ’28; #3 Doubles: Ellisah C. ’27 and Aisling P. ’28; C Conference At-Large Selectees: Chloe L. ’25 IAAM FIELD HOCKEY: Alex D. ’25

and Eva C. ’25 MIAA SOCCER: Nico Z. ’26 IAAM SOCCER: Amira D. ’26 and Daryn B. ’26 IAAM BASKETBALL: Lulu M. ’25

ANNUAL ATHLETIC AWARDS PIETER DESMIT H’95 AWARD: Ejaz I. ’25 and Indigo M. ’26 FRANCES M. HOMER ’38 AWARD: Alex D. ’25 and Alana F. ’25 CAROL SAMUELS AWARD: Victoria C. ’25 ROBERT A. NICOLLS AWARD: Jackson S. ’26 THOMAS P. LAMONICA '67 AWARD: Kaleb Y. ’25 ELEANOR HIGH H’96 AWARD: Elaina P. ’25 and Adam N. ’25 MARIAN B. MILLARD AWARD: Lulu M. ’25 ARTHUR O GRAY AWARD: Mason C. ’25 C. MARKLAND KELLY AWARD: Khadejah A. ’25 and

Mason C. ’25 12-YEAR VARSITY ATHLETE AWARD: Alex D. ’25 SCARLET AND GRAY AWARD: Lia B. ’25, Laya B. ’25,

Ben B. ’25, Eva C. ’25, Alex D. ’25, Rosa M. ’25, Lulu M. ’25, Ella W. ’25, Maya W. ’25 FSAA AWARD: Lulu M. ’25, Mason C. ’25, Alex D. ’25,

Ramsey K. ’25, Chloe L. ’25, Adam N. ’25, Ejaz I. ’25 L. LAWRENCE PEACOCK H'89 AWARD: Todd A. ’25, Laya B. ’25, Evan C. ’25, Isabel C. ’25, Mason C. ’25, Tatyana D. ’25, Leif E. ’25, Ramsey K. ’25, Chloe L. ’25, Adam N. ’25, Elaina P. ’25, Sam P. ’25, Natalie T. ’25, Henry T. ’25

IAAM BADMINTON: Julia R. ’27

and Skye L. ’27 MIAA BASEBALL: Gavin G. ’27 IAAM SOFTBALL: Lulu M. ’25 and Lily B. ’25 MIAA GOLF: Sully F. ’28 MIAA LACROSSE: Jackson S. ’26

and Ejaz I. ’25 IAAM LACROSSE: Victoria C. ’25,

Devyn B. ’28, and Chloe L. ’25 MIAA TENNIS: Mason C. ’25 and Todd A. ’25

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UPPER SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TEACHER HOA COST NAMED 2024 IAAM TENNIS COACH OF THE YEAR The Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) named Friends School chemistry teacher and parent of two graduates Hoa Cost P’24, ’25 as the 2024 IAAM Tennis Coach of the Year. Cost was recognized for her coaching leadership, particularly in guiding the Friends School team to an undefeated regular season and a championship tournament victory in the C Conference. Her dedication to developing well-rounded athletes and emphasizing discipline, resilience, and sportsmanship also contributed to her being selected for the award.

Isabelle R. ’25, a member of the 2024 IAAM Varsity Tennis team, spoke of how Cost’s coaching meant so much to the team. “What stood out most about Coach Hoa,” Isabelle said, “was her unwavering support. She always reminded us that, win or lose, she would be proud of us. Her encouragement meant so much, especially during tough times. I was fortunate to have her as my coach for four years, and I'll always treasure the memories of the fun and tough times we shared as a team.”

IAAM Varsity Tennis Conference Champions

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Director of Athletics Kara Carlin provided an excellent letter of nomination to the IAAM committee. “Coach Hoa is a remarkable individual whose dedication, expertise, and compassion have transformed our tennis program and positively influenced every athlete she has coached. Her commitment to developing well-rounded athletes has resulted in exceptional performances both on and off the court. Under her leadership, our team has achieved so much success this season. We finished the regular season in first place and won the IAAM Championship match, with all seven Varsity starters selected to the IAAM All-Conference team. This is a reflection of her ability to bring out the best in every player. Beyond the impressive record, Coach Hoa emphasizes the importance of discipline, resilience, and sportsmanship, qualities that each player embodies thanks to her guidance. With over two straight weeks of rain this fall, Coach Hoa helped me book indoor courts so there was not a lapse in her team's training.”

When asked about their winning season, Cost stated that she and co-coach Bertin Karenzi had an inkling before the season began that 2024 was going to be a special one for the Quakers, who claimed the school’s first tennis title since the 2010-11 teams claimed back-to-back B Conference crowns. ■

athletics ⊲ FSAA Awards Ceremony

FRIENDS SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION AWARDS V BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Asa A. ’25 and

Sachin R. ’25 V GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Mai B. ’25 V GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Maya W. ’25,

Annabelle (Max) B. ’25, and Khadejah A. ’25 JV GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Ellison C. ’28 and

Adelei R. ’27 V BOYS VOLLEYBALL: Mason C. ’25 V GIRLS TENNIS: Chloe L. ’25 and Asha C. ’26 JV GIRLS TENNIS: Harper N. ’28 and Maya P. ’25 V FIELD HOCKEY: Zuri D. ’27 and Liane L. ’26

2025 COLLEGE ATHLETES

V BOYS SOCCER: Nico Z. ’26 JV BOYS SOCCER: Caleb K. ’27 and Dylan B. ’28 V GIRLS SOCCER: Scarlett D. ’25, Elaina P. ’25,

and Lulu M. ’25 V GIRLS BASKETBALL: Lulu M. ’25 and

Ella W. ’25 V BOYS BASKETBALL: Kaleb Y. ’25 and

Quentin S. ’25 JV BOYS BASKETBALL: Sully F. ’28

and Ian A. ’28 Alex D. ’25 – Field Hockey, Kenyon College

DANCE TEAM: Rhyan T. ’25, Maya W. ’25,

and Fiona P. ’25 WRESTLING: Leif E. ’25, Noah P. ’25,

and Tzintzun B-B. ’28 V SQUASH: Rosa M. ’25 V BADMINTON: Koko B. ’25, Erika A. ’25, and Natalie T. ’25 JV BADMINTON: Ellisah C. ’27 and Eve F. ’26 3RD SQUAD BADMINTON: Romy C. ’28

and Iliana M-K. ’28 Lulu M. ’25 – Softball, Skidmore College

V BASEBALL: Ryan N. ’27, Adam N. ’25, and

Connor H. ’25 V SOFTBALL: Elaina P. ’25, Clai A. ’25,

and Lily B. ’25 V BOYS LACROSSE: Ejaz I. ’25 and Max K. ’26 V GIRLS LACROSSE Harper S. ’27 and

Lillian R. ’27 V BOYS TENNIS: Todd A. ’25, Mason C. ’25,

and Ramsey K. ’25 JV BOYS TENNIS: Neil C. ’26 and Dylan B. ’28

Alana F. ’25 – Field Hockey, Lycoming College

V GOLF: Will M. ’25 and Matthew H. ’25

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CLASS OF

2025

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CL A SS OF 2025 COLLEGE ACCEP TANCES & M ATR ICUL ATIONS University of Aberdeen (Scotland) Adelphi University Allegheny College American University Arizona State University Belmont University Bennington College Boston University Bowie State University Brown University Bryant University Bryn Mawr College Bucknell University University of California, Davis University of California, Irvine University of California, Los Angeles University of California, Riverside University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Cruz Case Western Reserve University Chapman University Clark University Clemson University Colgate University Columbia College Chicago University of Connecticut Connecticut College Coppin State University Cornell University Davidson College University of Delaware (3) Denison University University of Denver DePaul University Dickinson College Drexel University Duke University Duquesne University Earlham College Eckerd College Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Emerson College Emory University Fordham University (3) Franklin & Marshall College Furman University (2) George Mason University George Washington University Gettysburg College Goucher College Hampton University Haverford College Hiram College

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hofstra University Howard University Ithaca College James Madison University Juniata College University of Kentucky Kenyon College La Salle University Lafayette College Le Moyne College Lehigh University Liberty University Louisiana State University Loyola University Maryland Loyola University New Orleans Lycoming College Macalester College Manhattan University Marist University University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Maryland Eastern Shore University of Maryland, College Park (6) Marymount Manhattan College Marymount University University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2) McDaniel College Michigan State University University of Michigan Middlebury College University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Morehouse College Morgan State University Muhlenberg College University of New Hampshire University of New Orleans New York Institute of Technology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina A & T State University North Carolina State University Northeastern University (2) Oberlin College The Ohio State University (2) Pace University (NYC) University of Pennsylvania Penn State University, University Park University of Pittsburgh Purdue University Queens University of Charlotte Quinnipiac University University of Rhode Island Rhodes College Rice University

University of Richmond Robert Morris University University of Rochester Rochester Institute of Technology (3) Rutgers University, New Brunswick Saint Joseph's University Saint Louis University University of St Andrews (Scotland) St Mary's College of Maryland (2) St. John's University Salisbury University San Diego State University Seton Hall University Skidmore College Smith College University of South Carolina University of South Florida Stevenson University Susquehanna University Swarthmore College Syracuse University The University of Tampa Temple University (2) The University of Texas at Austin Towson University Trinity College Dublin Tufts University Union College Ursinus College Vassar College University of Vermont University of Virginia Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Tech Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Washington College University of Washington Wesleyan University (2) West Virginia University Western Michigan University Widener University College of William & Mary Wingate University University of Wisconsin, Madison Worcester Polytechnic Institute Yale University York College of Pennsylvania Bold – Member of Class of 2025 is attending (#) – Number of members attending, if more than one

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ALUMNI

Members of the reunion classes ending in 0 and 5 gathered at the Reunion Reception for a festive evening.

2024-2025

A Message from the Friends School Alumni Association As we reflect on the past year, we are proud to share the strides our Alumni Association has made in strengthening the bonds that connect us to each other and to Friends School. It has been a year of reconnection, revitalization, and remarkable momentum.

Our primary goal as the Friends School Alumni Association Board remains fostering relationships among alumni while supporting the mission and vision of Friends. During the 20242025 year, we’ve engaged alumni across generations through a variety of events, programs, and communications.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: • Successful Events: We hosted five in-person events, including an Orioles game outing and an Earth Day celebration, as well as the annual 100 Nights Dinner which celebrates the graduating seniors.

• Career and Mentorship Initiatives: This year we hosted an alumni and student networking evening where Upper School students could discuss career advice with alumni from different industries as well as their experience and thought process behind college and career choices. We also assisted several seniors with finding Senior Work Projects.

• Alumni Recognition: We celebrated outstanding alumni through our annual Alumni Award & Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony, recognizing leadership, service, and innovation within our community.

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Behind these achievements is a dedicated group of volunteers and staff. We are immensely grateful to the Alumni Office and our Board Members: Heidi Rooks Arndt ’87, Chuck Barton ’68, Gen Moody Distance ’84, Morgan Klausner ’13, Margo Lauterbach ’93, Langston Lee ’15, Holden Marshall ’15, Jeff Maylor ’01, Alison Bomgardner Miller ’95, Sequoyah Simermeyer ’93, Rachel Tranter ’01, and student reps Isabel C. ’25, Yipeng L. ’25, and Rosa M. ’25.

Looking ahead, we are excited to expand our outreach, diversify programming, and explore new ways to bring alumni closer together. Your feedback and involvement guide our work; please feel free to contact us at alumni@friendsbalt.org.

We are also pleased to welcome Holden Marshall ’15 as the new Alumni Association Board Chair, whose enthusiasm and commitment to the alumni community has already made a meaningful impact. Although Holden takes the reigns, we’ll continue to support him as Immediate Past Presidents.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to our alumni family. Together, we honor our past, celebrate the present, and shape a stronger future.

Sincerely, Ted Kasper ’15 Hilary Baldwin Ruley ’95

Alumni Weekend

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Over the course of two days, May 2 & 3, 2025, Friends School of Baltimore welcomed hundreds of alumni and guests back to campus for Alumni Weekend 2025. It was a joyful celebration of reconnection, reflection, and renewed commitment to our community’s shared values.

This year, we honored reunion classes ending in 0 and 5, with attendees spanning from the Class of 2020 all the way back to 1955—an inspiring testament to the strength and longevity of the Friends School community.

From self-guided tours through our Native Plant Teaching Gardens, to the 50th Reunion Dinner and Meeting for Worship, every event offered a way to engage with the past while celebrating what lies ahead. The weekend also included a comprehensive campus tour, Reunion Reception, and recognition of this year’s Alumni Award recipients and Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.

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A highlight of the weekend was the Alumni Weekend Luncheon, held in honor of Friends School legacy scholarships. More than just a meal, this gathering served as a powerful reminder that alumni support directly contributes to making a Friends School education accessible to the next generation. Every seat at the luncheon was a seat of support—by attending, alumni and friends helped raise vital funds for financial assistance, ensuring that students from all backgrounds can thrive within the Friends School of Baltimore community.

Throughout the weekend, the bonds of friendship and shared experience were palpable. Yet beneath the warmth of reunion was a deeper purpose: a collective effort to pay forward the gift of a Friends School education. The generosity shown during Alumni Weekend speaks volumes about our alumni’s enduring belief in the mission of the School.

To everyone who attended, contributed, and celebrated with us—thank you.

Your presence and participation made a tangible difference. Together, we are preserving the legacy of Friends School and opening doors for future students to walk the same meaningful path.

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1. Christine Saudek, Kailie Saudek ’15, Mark Saudek ’85 and Caitlin Donovan ’15 celebrated Kailie’s induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

2. Class of 2015 Darby Lasky, Yasmin Hariri, and Langston Lee celebrated their 10th Reunion.

3. Class of 1990 Will Rubenstein, Cheryle Oshman Blunt, Dave Chiu, Jahan Sagafi, Matt Baughman, Becky Felix Coplin, Read Carter, Jennifer Carrigan reminisced with the final edition of their class’ The Quaker Quill.

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1. Members of the Class of 1975 and prior joined Head of School Christian Donovan for breakfast.

2. Class of 1980 Quinn Stills, Diana Cheung, Kitty Whiteford, Jack Whiteford, Amy Morrison, Barbara Zadek, and Sara Hagigh caught up over the weekend and celebrated two classmates receiving Alumni Awards.

3. Jenn Simmons ’95, Chelsea Stalling Pinnix ’95, Fern Stalling ’00, Kia Harrison-Wyatt ’95, Summer Downing ’95, and Simone Stalling ’96 attended the Alumni Weekend Luncheon honoring student financial assistance.

4. Erica Lasan ’05, Bruce Parkhurst ’70, Brenda Bodian ’70, John Hammond ’70, Nicholas Reid and Erica and Nicholas’ child gathered on the Alumni Patio for lunch.

5. The Campus Tour is a walk down memory lane for most with hallways sometimes unchanged. This year alumni were able to take in the newly renovated spaces like the Lower School buildings and Upper School Library.

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← For additional photos from Alumni Weekend, visit the Friends School Flickr page.

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alumni ⊲

↖ 50th Reunion The Class of 1975

Milestone Reunions The 50th and 25th Reunions represent significant milestones, inspiring greater philanthropic giving to the School and reuniting meaningful friendships.

↖ 25th Reunion The Class of 2000

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2025 Reunion Classes

1955

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1965

1970

1980

1985

1990

1995

2005

2010

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alumni ⊲

2015

2020

2025 Athletic Hall of Fame The Athletic Hall of Fame Committee was proud to welcome the 2025 slate of inductees into the Friends School Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

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TEAM INDUCTIONS 1. 2005 Varsity Indoor Soccer Team; 2. 2005 Varsity Softball Team 3

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INDIVIDUAL INDUCTIONS 3. Katherine E. Bryant ’75 4. Michael J. Fine ’95 5. Brian P. Valle ’99 6. James F. Flinn ’00 7. Sarah M. Ritter ’05 8. Kailie E. Saudek ’15

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2025 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS → On Saturday, May 3, 2025, we recognized four members of our community for

their incredible contributions to Friends and their professional fields through our Distinguished Alumni Award, Outstanding Alumni Service Award, and Honorary Alumni Award.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD This award was established to recognize and honor those Friends School graduates whose professional or volunteer achievements have brought distinction within a particular field or vocational endeavor, locally or on a national level.

Amy M. Morrison ’80

Alumni Association Board Member Langston Lee ’15 and Amy Morrison ’80

Amy is the CEO, Co-Founder and Board Member of Music Sustainability Alliance (MSA), a company that empowers the music industry to tackle the climate crisis.

Amy has created a way to fuse her expertise in the music touring industry with her passion and background for sustainability. At MSA, she leads a team of event and sustainability professionals to move the music industry towards more sustainable outcomes. Prior to MSA, Amy was a trailblazer in the live music world for more than three decades, including as SVP of Marketing for Concerts West/AEG Presents, where she worked with the Rolling Stones, Celine Dion, Paul McCartney, Prince and others. According to renowned music journalist Larry LeBlanc: “Her touch is legendary, and she has unquestionably changed the way music events and tours are being marketed.” In 2021, to reinforce her commitment to climate action, Amy achieved a sustainability certificate from Presidio Graduate School.

Jahan C. Sagafi ’90

Alumni Association Board Member Hilary Baldwin Ruley ’95 and Jahan Sagafi ’90

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Building on the foundation of his education at Friends, Jahan is a social justice lawyer, running the San Francisco office of national plaintiffs’ law firm Outten & Golden.

There, he represents workers in class actions to challenge companies’ exploitative employment practices, including systemic discrimination and harassment, wage theft, and corporate speech restriction. During his career, he has won a jury trial for a nationwide class of IT workers to recover unpaid wages, an en banc appeal in the Ninth Circuit, settlements protecting Google, Uber, and Activision workers from gender and race discrimination, and more. Jahan is active in the legal community, having served on various boards, such as the ACLU of Northern California, Legal Aid at Work, Public Advocates, Alliance for Justice, the People’s Parity Project, and the American Constitution Society. Before working as a lawyer, Jahan was a teacher in England and Brooklyn and a management consultant in New York City.

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD This award was established to honor a Friends School alumna or alumnus who has generously and loyally donated time and energy to enrich Friends and its future.

Christopher A. Feiss ’80, P’18

Lester Davis P’28, ’28, ’30 and Chris Feiss ’80, P’18

Chris is a proud alum, parent of alum, dedicated volunteer, and an invaluable champion of Friends School. Following in the footsteps of his brother Geoff Feiss ’72, Chris joined Friends School in fourth grade and has remained actively engaged ever since. As a member of the Class of 1980, Chris has been a leader for class reunions and alumni gatherings nationwide, nurturing relationships throughout the alumni community. As a parent, he and spouse Hadley were regular fixtures on campus during their child Carter ’18’s time, attending concerts and performances, and helping with important admissions and alumni activities. Chris has had the most impact on Friends, however, through his dedicated service to the Board of Trustees from 20172024. During his seven year tenure, he garnered philanthropic support for the School as clerk of the Development Committee from 2018 to 2021, paving the way for future capital and comprehensive campaigns and championing the most recent renovation of the Lower School complex. He led the Board's recruitment and governance activities as the clerk of the Committee on Trustees from 2021 to 2024. He devoted time and energy to the Executive Committee in his role as Board Secretary for three years, and provided financial counsel on the Finance and Investment committees during his entire tenure. On top of all of this, for the past five years, he has also contributed his insights and support as a founding member of the Head’s Advisory Council, a group that serves as a sounding board and advisory cabinet to the Head of School. To be sure, many from the Class of 1980 have contributed strongly to Friends School's success, but Chris Feiss's passion, generosity of spirit, devotion of time and talent, and steadfast leadership have truly set him above and apart.

HONORARY ALUMNI AWARD This award was established to honor a Friends School community member who exemplifies the Quaker philosophy and spirit, and who gives of himself or herself to further the growth of Friends School and its community.

Lisa L. Countess H’25

Lisa Countess H’25 and Head of School Christian Donovan

Nearly every Friends School graduate will share how deeply their teachers influenced them, and Lisa Countess is one of those exceptional educators whose impact spans generations. Joining the school in 1984, Lisa dedicated herself to the Foreign Language Department and was a mentor to students and colleagues alike. As former student and colleague Jordan Wright ’10 poignantly expressed: “In reality, there are insufficient words to really describe her contributions to Friends and how much she means to this community…She truly is part of the history of the school with her seeing many different principals, heads of school, colleagues, strategic plans, and capital campaigns.” Throughout her 40 years, Lisa was instrumental in the Black Student Union, the Hiram Holton II Scholarship, Sister to Sister Mentoring, Squashwise, and the Convocation Committee. She championed language studyabroad trips, supported the Performing Arts Department, and organized Upper School Collection among other things. Lisa’s legacy endures at Friends, and we are proud to recognize her with the Honorary Alumni Award.

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Entrance sign to Friends School of Baltimore, 1968

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Class Notes: 2024–2025

In these pages generations of alumni have shared life’s significant milestones and reminisced about their Friends School days. Be a part of the tradition. Send your news and photos to alumni@friendsbalt.org.

Digital images should be 1 MB or larger and sent in .jpg format.

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Susanne Davis Emory vermontsue@aol.com

Ken Hecht is happy to report, with enormous wonder and appreciation, that he is fine. He has been married 38 years to a wonderful second wife, fathering, grandfathering, and great-grandfathering seven kids, 13 grandkids, and nine great grandkids, all healthy and busy. He and his wife Christina continue to work part-time at the University of California, focusing on state and national food policy, mainly the federal food programs that target low-income individuals, families and communities. Ed Butler and wife, Pat, have sold their home of 41 years and moved to Pickersgill, a retirement community in Towson. He found it difficult to downsize because he has always been a collector (Pat says hoarder) of things. Charles Ellicott, who passed away in October 2024, will be remembered for his wit and adventurous spirit and for his and Vivian’s efforts to come to our class reunions.

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Patricia Peake Tisdale Ptisdale96kp@gmail.com

Gilbert Cohen has become a good friend and class cheerleader. His home on Longboat Key, Florida, is sand steps away from the Peakes’ former home on the beach there – a bond we share and marvel. Gilbert writes that: “I retired in 2019 and Pat and I spend our winters on Longboat Key, Florida, usually about six months. For the last three years, Pat and I have spent the summer in Europe.

Western, Central, and Eastern Europe are our favorite vacation destinations, with Italy our top choice. This year, as we did in 2023 and 2024, we will be away for nine weeks. Pat now has two great-grandsons and I have one great-granddaughter. Her family is mostly in Maryland while all of mine are in New York City. I am usually visiting there every five to six weeks. All of my grandchildren are working in New York City, so my trips there cover all of them.

Our property on Longboat Key was hit hard by the September hurricane.

All has now been repaired. The 70th reunion was very special, even though the turnout was thin. Since we are all in

From left: Bob Kriel ’55 and his daughter Helena at her wedding in St. Paul; Linda Flack Bunce ’55 hiking in the alps of Switzerland our mid 80s, mobility seems to be the enemy. But, we all said we want to be there in 2030 when we will be five years older. Good lunch and good health to everyone.” Ginny Pearce Mitchell was one of our stalwart friends who joined the reunion group. She reports that while she and Fred have issues, they have one another and are still able to laugh.

From Peter Block, “It was a real treat for me and Betsy to attend the Class of 1955 Reunion at Friends, indeed 70 years. Betsy had heard many stories, none to be mentioned here, and enjoyed putting faces to them! Initially everyone was surprisingly unrecognizable, but familiar faces gradually emerged as we sat at lunch and reminisced. Great fun.

We spend our time between Atlanta in the winter, when spring comes in midFebruary, and summers in Wareham, Mass., the latter to catch a bluefish for dinner (yes, they are really good to eat) and watch the wildlife at the shore. Three kids, four grandkids, and two greatgrands now extend the family. The great dog Zoro, a Belgian Sheepdog, prefers Wareham where he has play dates and swims daily - not a bad life. We treasure it all and smile.” Bill Putt kindly assures me that I am definitely assured a place in heaven for tangling with this class column.

I think he is right. He writes, “Presently I am a cancer survivor which unfortunately restricted my travel to our Reunion.

However, I am still able to trim my bushes, mow my pasture and trails, and watch

for bears. I also read a lot which now includes Criticisms of Captialism and the biography of Ulysses Grant. Grant’s life was up and down, but the downs were horrible; I would never want to repeat his experiences.” From Minnesota, Bob Kriel writes, “We celebrated my daughter Helena’s wedding in St. Paul.

It was a happy and wonderful threeday event. Totally arranged by Helena and Graham. Representing Baltimore were my nieces Beth and Debbie. I am sending in a photo of our proud moment as Helena walked me down the aisle. I recently was informed that our group at the Center for Orphan Drug Research had success in our patent application after a 10 year effort, for which I received no financial reward. Thanks to all who coordinated our Friends School Reunion.”

Kitty Roberts Merrifield lives in Seattle, Washington, and writes, “I think I am lucky to live independently and enjoy my condo on Lake Washington and my neighbors. I am still involved in a minor way with our schools and the study of history. We strongly support the National History Day program. Most of my time now is spent preparing and touring at the Seattle Museum of Art. One of our current exhibits is Ai Weiwei and it is very interesting and popular. He uses art to tell his story and fight for equality by using Legos instead of paint or other materials.

I am not traveling very far or often. My driving is limited to daylight, but there are a number of friends on our street, and FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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bridge playing is popular and frequent.

My grandson George graduated from Lehigh last year and hopes to continue his studies in chemistry. Most of the programs have been greatly reduced, so that is still undecided. My Friends School contacts are mostly Gretchen Sause Redden ’54 and Evie Luebbers Sinwell ’54. I don’t know of anyone from our class in Seattle. I am sorry to have missed the Reunion, but the photos were great fun. My best to all of you, especially to Pat for all she does for us.” From Page Singewald Williams who lives in Texas, “I’m not making it with a photo, hair starting to grow with the big “C” that kept me from joining you for the reunion.

With thanks to Pat Morrill for previously hosting me, for Al Seivold for offering to transport me had I come. And for my sadness to never have thanked Peter Block in person for making me a lifetime dachshund lover.” Linda Flack Bunce spends time every summer hiking in the alps of Switzerland. Bill Morrill and Pat Fiol Morrill “moved to Mercy Ridge in Timonium about eight years ago and we are very happy here. We have met so many new friends and reconnected with friends that we knew many years ago. I continue to teach oil painting to the “old folks.” Most of my students have never painted before and they are turning out incredible work. I recently had a student show here at Mercy Ridge and the compliments from other residents was very rewarding. I felt like a ‘proud mamma.’ I have five different volunteer jobs which keep me busy and involved.

We still enjoy our second home on Bodkin Creek where we get to see our kids and grandkids (eight grands). Being on the water is a great way to relax and reunite. Bill stays busy running things on the computer. He keeps in touch with his old lacrosse buddies with monthly lunches. We have a dog so he does lots of walking. We have a good life and it started at Friends in the 10th grade and they said it wouldn’t last!!!” Al Seivold writes: “Cathie and I have enjoyed our new home in Delaware for almost two years. We had a screened porch added in back facing a large wooded area to view nature and the many birds that visit our feeders. We spend our days reading, watching sporting events and movies on TV, and caring for our three flower beds.

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From left: Nancy Hearn Aronson and Bill Hammond from the class of 1957; Marty Bald Huyette ’58 sends best wishes to classmates Planting has become too difficult due to arthritis so we have reduced our activity to maintenance only. I am a life member of the Sierra Club and plan to become more active in the local Delaware chapter.

We now live close to family and enjoy our frequent visits.” I, Pat Peake Tisdale, am winding down this happy compilation on a sad note, I lost my lovely daughter Lisa to ovarian cancer March 2024. We were so very hopeful with new chemo therapies that she would survive. She was 57 years old. Picking up the pieces is ongoing. I am in the same house in Severna Park, Md. for 55 years, in a waterfront community with lovely young neighbors. I am active and do the house and yard myself and intense aerobic exercise several days a week. From June through October, I am in our Cape Cod house and swim daily in the community pool and walk everywhere. Keeping in touch with our class is a great plus.

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Nancy Hearn Aronson nharonson@gmail.com

There is a monthly zoom call hosted

by Bill Hammond (gellmu@gmail.com) normally on the third Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Contact Bill or Nancy Hearn Aronson (nharonson@gmail.com) for the link. The calls are always enjoyable - sometimes hilarious! Our conversations are wide-ranging, but recently focused on concerns about/resisting our current government policies. Carol Harrington Fitting notes that “Exclusion, as our current government is pursuing, is the anthesis of Quaker beliefs.” Many of us agreed that we have a responsibility to speak out. Bill Hammond and Nancy Hearn Aronson caught up recently for breakfast when Bill and his wife, Jean, were visiting family in the D.C. area.

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Susan Shinnick Hossfeld shossfeld@comcast.net

Anne Easton Wiliams writes from England that she has a new great-grandchild, now six-weeks old, another due in July, and another due in early September. She currently lives in a care home. When the sun is shining, she goes outside and has a view of green fields, sheep, and cattle. Her smart phone keeps her in touch with her family in all parts of the world as well as TV and newspapers. She looks back over a long and interesting life of many memories, including her year at Friends School. Betsy Banghart Bratz has a lot going on in her life. She just returned from India where her stepson and his family joined her for a safari to see tigers. It was a successful and wonderful trip! She still enjoys her continuing care facility. Now the exciting news—her marriage to Tom Ratcliffe is scheduled for early December 2025 which will continue in the New Year with lots of new adventures. Jeanne Morrill Owings reports her granddaughter Amy gave birth to a beautiful 8 lb. boy in March, Elijah Muhammad Bilal, a brother to his two sisters, Mira and Logan. Jeanne lives in an apartment near Columbia, Maryland, close to her son and daughter-in-law Cody and Debby, her granddaughter Amy, her husband Muhammad and the three great-grandchildren. Martha (Marty) Bald Huyette emailed that she loves following her classmates on Facebook, IG, and a couple of Friends School Tik Tokers. Marty lives in Friday Harbor on the Juan Island off of the coast of Wash. for almost eight years. It is beautiful with half the rain of Seattle, temperatures in the 40s in the winter, 60-70 degrees in the summer, and orcas and dolphins romping off shore. A cute cottage complex is her home with a large koi pond and greenery views. Her

classnotes ⊲ youngest granddaughter, Georgia, just graduated from high school in Friday Harbor and Marty’s sister, Nancy Bald Ripley ’56, just came for a long visit from Niantic, Conn. Flowers of lavender, Shasta daisies, and potted plants frame her patio.

In the morning, she works at the San Juan Island Museum of Art and stays as a receptionist until early afternoon. She is the unofficial photographer and posts promo photos online. In addition to her busy days, she enjoys yoga classes and going to the beach! Eric and Nancy Rudolph live in Atlanta with their four dogs (three Papillons and a Bernese Mountain Dog). Eric is still very involved in lacrosse, including assigning men’s lacrosse officials in a number of states in the Southeastern U.S. They also spend time traveling in their Foretravel motorhome, visiting family and going on trips with other motorhome owners. Deepest sympathy is extended to J. McDonnell (Mac) Price on the loss of his brother on April 14, 2025. Richard Marcy Price ’59, a graduate of Friends School, was a former lacrosse standout and a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame for lacrosse. Earlier this year, Mac’s oldest son James McDonnell Price IV, sadly passed away. In addition to his losses, Mac’s car was hit by another car going through a red light and was totaled. Mac is fine, but had to deal with all of his associated issues, including getting a new car. He continues to go the Towson Y five days a week, attends and is active at Trinity Episcopal Church. Meta (Kandi) Foell Slade, who is always cheerful and in good spirits, says she is still working full time. Her daughter Tracey has remarried. Kandi now has four great-grandchildren. She has an amazing sense of humor and you end up laughing whenever together! Henry Mortimer recently moved into Charlestown Senior Living in Catonsville after selling his house of 52 years in Sherwood Forest, where he spent his whole life part of each year. Hap and Betsy’s two daughters live in Catonsville, which has been fun since they are able to see them and the many grandchildren. Charlestown has been a good experience, independent living but extended care if needed. Meeting new people (all old) and lots of activities offered.

This year the Mortimers have had two college graduations, one grandchild soon to be in Catonsville High School, and one to graduate from Towson next year. Betsy

and Hap have a total of 11 grandchildren and feel blessed to have them close. For the past 25 years the Mortimer family members have had presence on the Friends School Campus. Amy D’Aiutolo Moritmer ’87, married to Hap’s son, worked there and just retired. Their three children graduated and all are in the work force. Patricia (Patti) Pike Dougherty writes there is not much news to report.

Both Frank and Patti are doing well and spend their time between their homes in Florida and Massachusetts. They love spending time with their grandchildren and great grandchildren. You might find them on a few Caribbean Cruises during the year. Susan Shinnick Hossfeld shared that “this year Carl and I continued with our normal winter plans with a week of skiing for Carl as a member of the Rotary International Ski Group this year at Steamboat (Susan and the non-skiers enjoyed the town) and the other week was a family vacation at Snowmass. In two weeks, we leave on a cruise to the Great Lakes for 12 days and then in the summer, we will go on a family vacation to Rehoboth Beach. Elizabeth, our granddaughter, will now be a sophomore at Clark University in Massachusetts and has a job this summer. Jason, feeling better, is back in college and working hard.”

Frank Windsor reports that he and Ann McAllister Windsor ’60 continue to live in Riverwoods Exeter, a continuous care retirement community in Exeter, New Hampshire, and considers it to be a blessing. They frequently see their two children, Kate Windsor ’85 and Andrew Windsor ’90, who live in Farmington, Conn. and Boston, Mass. respectively. They also get to see some of their grandchildren as they pass through, two in L.A., one in N.Y.C., one in Connecticut, and one in Maine. Their traveling has slowed down but they have been to Sint Maarten the last two winters. They also enjoy keeping track of some of our classmates who post on Facebook and Instagram. During the October Hurricanes in Florida, Barbara Long O’Brien, lost her wonderful lime tree and plumeria, while she and her puppy were in her bathtub safe place during the hurricane. She saved some of the plumeria branches, rooted them and gave some to her neighbors. Last January found her at a dream vacation-Epcot. It was the idea and treat of her granddaughter Erin and

husband, Galen. They took care of everything!! For years she took Erin for trips in the U.S.A., Hawaii and Australia.

Erin loved treating her to Epcot. In February Barbie had a a bad fall and she now walks with more caution, feels fine and enjoys her life. She is in the pool daily for one hour of exercise and goes to the gym trainer once a week. Barbie sees her wonderful family frequently. Brother, Dan Long ’60 goes with her for different entertainments. Her son, George, and Barbie go out to brunch every few weeks and her other son Patrick came from Charleston for a reunion and visit in January and will return for another visit soon. Barbie still is volunteering at Historic Spanish Point outdoor museum and enjoys meeting folks from all over the world.

Barbie is planning a trip to Ireland in September. William (Bill) Grant called to say he was doing as well as any other “80ish or so” year old. He has four grandchildren, some of the family are in Atlanta and the others are close by in Baltimore. The oldest grandchild is in her third year of medical school. Bill says everyone thinks he looks 70 (and he does)!! He is fond of crab cakes and knows just where to go for Baltimore’s best.

Nancy Born Edwards writes she and Jack try to stay active. Nancy flew to London in March to meet her two daughters and celebrate her 85th birthday. They all had a great time, a top-notch tour guide for two days, theater, shopping and restaurants. It was a very special time! Jack and Nancy still go to Florida, Michigan, and Rehoboth.

Her grandchildren are out of college and fully employed. The best things in her life are: her dear husband, her daughters, and her six grandchildren. Marsha Norris Cerquitella emailed that her three children, six grandchildren and now four greatgrand children, are all well and happy, lead very busy lives and keep her up to date via the wonders of modern technology with pictures, texts, and sometimes a Facetime chat. Marsha loves to read and do puzzles, and the local library is better than a candy store for her. She has been revisiting some of the classics that she never appreciated when we had to read them. Mr. Shivers would surely approve!!

Marsha knits shawls for the prayer ministry and now is on number 13. Thank you to all who contributed to this column!

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Karl Pfrommer Karlpfrommer@gmail.com

Frank Grant just won’t stop creating new performing arts. He’s writing a collection of “Stories In Rhyme” for young children and longer “Fantasy Adventure Stories” for older children. Frank said “Publishers have been very complimentary about my work and offered to help me self-publish.

But I’m not a publisher — so I’m looking for one.” Frank’s latest song “You’d Be So Easy To Forget” was released on most major streaming services. And in January Frank won an ASCAP OnStage award for several of his songs performed live in various New York nightclubs. Martha Kegan Graham says “Life is good.” She’s presently at home. However, an old friend asked her to travel. He said, “Life is short; let’s go.” In the past 18 months they’ve been twice in France, New Orleans, California, Hawaii, Montreal, and often D.C. All is well with her family. “My children are at that age when they think they’re as old as I am.” From Michael (Skip) Merrill: Judy and I are well, enjoying our new lives in Portland, Ore., especially with seven family members here, young, middle and old aged. As for me, Karl Pfrommer, I’ve been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

I caught it early (my mom also had it) and there are new chemical infusions that have slowed down my symptoms. So I’ll have about 5 more years before I “lose my mind.” In spite of that, I’m still dating and hoping a lady will put up with me before I’m gone. And four years from now I’ll be able to enjoy our next Friends School Reunion.

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Mary McElroy mem2008@comcast.net

The Class of 1960 held an online gathering hosted by Brad Meyer on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Some of us don’t travel very far these days and Brad contacted the email list we have and set this up for us. Classmates who joined the call included Brian Hooker, Brad Meyer, Tom Baker, Lynn Hoehn Patton, Sandra Sutley Kull, Norlian Heather Heath Landheim, Susan Mears Whiteford, Dellie Strickland James, Linda Peake Frost, Susan Huff Schmitt, Barbara Lindemann, John Novogrod, Betsy Beatty Gable, Matt Worthington, Diane Howell Mitchell, and Cathie Felter.

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The Class of 1960 hosted a Zoom call in March 2025

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Eleanor Blake Fuller eaerobic@hotmail.com

As Dianna Yaeger Rankin wrote this to me, she was visiting her daughter and family in Wisconsin. She also notes that she has moved from Boynton Beach to Lake Worth, Fla. She wishes all our classmates the very best! Jim Hammond has reduced his professional work at church and rarely attempts to do a full Sunday morning service. He does, however, frequently offer the Noon Eucharist on Wednesdays, a shorter service for about two dozen people.

Trinity Upperville has been involved in the community for a long time. Also, there are several “hunts” in the Fauquier and Loudoun County areas which help frame the Upperville Colt and Horse Show featuring hunter/jumper competitions.

Jim’s church each year hosts a tour of the local stables located on the farms/estates of note. The income from the tour goes to the outreach program of the church which distributes about $200,000 a year. Given the direction of the county, it greatly helps meet the needs of the poor, dispossessed, ill, aged, and lonely. Please visit trinityupperville.org and upperville.com specifically for information on the Colt and Horse Show. Peace from Jim to all.

Lane Williamson continues to be busy painting, of course, and running the studio. She also does volunteer work with elections, food pantry work, and teaches in the community center. Her gardens are in full swing in the summer which makes her happy. Stock Buck and his wife Linda recently visited Lane, her kids and grandkids. Lane says they both seem to be doing well. Bruce Goodwin and Lucy remain active. Both are involved in their professional alumni and community activities. Thanks to orthopedic medical

technology, they have continued to be able to travel. Victoria, B.C. and Alaska’s Inside Passage were visited in 2024 with the Baltic Sea nations in the fall of 2025. In November, they will be visiting New Orleans for a conference. They will be able to see Steve Rosenbloom and we hope he is doing well. Steve advised Bruce that Dan passed away in June and I am sure we all extend sympathies to the family. Bruce finds it a bit difficult to now be going to weddings for grandchildren. Bruce, I know – been there! He sends warm regards and looks forward to seeing us in 2027. Since the pandemic, John Littleford has slowed down a bit on the road. However, most every day he is on a Zoom meeting doing workshops and other work for independent and international schools around the world. He and Mary will go to their home in New Brunswick, Canada, for about a month this summer but John will continue to work. The world of independent and international schools is ever more challenging for those who are heads of schools. Their tenure was short and has now become even shorter.

Georgeanna (Bee) Jones Klingensmith and husband BiIl are as well as can be expected. They still live in Colorado and Bill is still skiing but a fall in February with a torn ligament is giving him some doubts. Losing his right thumb for three months is no fun even though it is not a serious injury. They both still enjoy being in the mountains which have highs in the mid 70s but is more comfortable than being in Denver. They enjoy two to five mile walks/hikes, but above 11,000 feet causes Bee some altitude problems. They enjoy having their two boys and families visit them respectively in Texas and N.Y.C. Their oldest grandchild finished

classnotes ⊲ his first year of college and the youngest turned 13 in January, so life moves on.

They have plenty of spare bedrooms and would love company if anyone is planning a trip to or through Colorado.

Linda Kardash Armiger and Buck are still enjoying their lives in Solomons, Md. She finds it difficult to accept that she (we) are over 80! Linda will need a hip replacement in September (as will I also in September). She is maneuvering around by wheelchair till then. Their offsprings gathered together for a family reunion. Their grandchildren are either adults or preparing for college. Logan is excelling in her own styling business.

She just turned 20 and bought her own commercial space. MacKensie, the equestrienne, graduated with honors from Delone Catholic School in Pennsylvania.

She will attend the University of South Carolina in the fall. The youngest, Laurel, is a lacrosse champion attackman and will attend a special lacrosse camp this summer, having been nominated for the camp. She also once again made honor roll. Kelly, Linda’s daughter, will be able to retire from Phillips Cardiac Systems Design with full benefits and chooses not to retire but is proud of her accomplishments. Several years ago she was named “employee of the year.”

She still has the family lust for anything equine and purchased a lovely mare from Canada for MacKensie. Daughter, Tara, obtained her doctorate in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina and will continue to teach third grade. She and her husband have a new home in Aiken, S.C. along with their dogs for hunting and attending polo and cross country events. Linda sends her best and for all things good. Carol Davidson Methven has had a pretty calm year, but her three pound yorkie developed pulmonary hypertension and she has her own cardiologist! Since their yorkie gets stressed traveling, they have not traveled this year. Carol is still playing bridge, golf and quilting. She has enjoyed following her granddaughter Sydney’s volleyball career at The University of the South (aka Sewanee). Carol hopes everyone is doing well. Chris Sherman Raywood spent the summer in Baltimore with Bill Sherman ’69 and family and enjoyed being with the little kids. This spring she took her granddaughters Tori and Carly to Italy,

visiting Rome, Florence and a day trip to San Gimignano. Returning to London, they visited the Kings Gallery to see the Edwardian Exhibition and the show “The Devil Wears Prada” with Vanessa Williams.

There was good food, shopping, and laughter. Chris still works at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach one day a week.

After 31 years as a tour guide, she has moved to the archives area where she has been typing Henry Flagler’s personal correspondence from 1882 on. There are four letter boxes each with 750 pages.

They have typed one box with over 9,000 letters and have learned so much more about this man and the founding of Standard Oil with Rockefeller which is fascinating. Chris had cataract surgery on one eye and is doing the other one by now I am sure. I am reminded that she has had both knees and both hips done and she is still going to Europe. I am proud of you Chris. Hoping the one hip surgery gets a bit better soon. As for me, Eleanor Blake Fuller, after more than 7 1/2 years, my husband, Cliff, passed away around Thanksgiving 2024. We had very difficult hurricanes in October 2024 and so many places were totally destroyed. I was unable to be with him for three weeks and he deteriorated pretty quickly. I am so lucky, though, to have had him with our live-in caregiver for so many years. I am trying to regroup and recently visited the West Indies and also Cuba. I thoroughly enjoyed Cuba and the people.

The ones who hosted us during our visit were very well educated but unable to freely leave the country. I would go back again tomorrow as it was delightful learning and asking anything we wanted.

Our travel agent, also my friend, did a great job of setting it up. My grandson, Max, who is 16, not only was inducted into the National Honor Society this year but also made the special Principal’s Honor Roll with all A’s. I, as Linda is doing, am having a hip replaced at the end of September and my hope will be to play pickleball again and be as active as I was before. For the first time ever I will be able to visit my daughter and family this summer at their summer cottage in New Hampshire which will be fun. I am currently writing this from a good friend’s lakehouse on Cayuga Lake in N.Y. I wish all of you the very best in health and enjoyable times. Take care all.

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Donna Hasslinger Dhassli@aol.com

The Class of ’63 has continued having our class lunches in Timonium and Columbia every few months. Steve Greif, Joan Shinnick Kreeger, Marge Rowe Felter, Skip Dugdale, Joane Knight Schumacher, Judy Klingelhofer O’Mara, Anne Skinner White, Susan Townsend, and Donna Hasslinger have joined us for the most recent lunches. Steve Greif finally retired in February 2025, and since then, he has been enjoying tennis and biking and Osher classes. In December 2024 he and his wife, Maggie, their children, and grandchildren traveled to Costa Rica and in March 2025 he and Maggie visited their son’s family in Vancouver. In May they traveled to the Southeast U.S. (Memphis, Montgomery and Mobile) to visit several Civil Rights sites and memorials. In June Joan Shinnick Kreeger and her partner, John Dombach, took a four-night cruise from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico with Joan’s son Doug and two grandchildren to celebrate Joan’s 80th birthday. Then they were off to Kansas City to visit more of the family. Marge and Jeb Felter still love their gardening, long walks, brain games, golf for Jeb and lunches with friends for Marge, and especially enjoying their children and grandchildren!

Their son, Wilson Felter ’90 and his wife, Jeanne, still live in Pennsylvania. Wilson left his position at Penn Charter to take over as Head of Wyndcroft School in Pottstown, Pa. Jeanne is the Associate Dean in Population Health at Jefferson U. Wilson and Jeanne’s son, Josh, graduated magna cum laude from the U of Richmond in May (Business School degree in Finance) and is a scratch golfer.

Their daughter, Darcy, is a rising senior at UNC and a member of the Women’s Lacrosse team (2025 Champions!). Their son, Casey, graduated from Penn Charter in June and is headed for U of Delaware in the fall (where he was recruited to play lacrosse) and he is also a good golfer. Marge and Jeb’s daughter, Liz Felter Farrell ’88 and her husband, Bill Farrell, have created an organic farm in Lyme, Conn. (Fat-Stone-Farm.com) growing elderberries, turmeric, etc. and using their sugaring maple sap to make amazing pure syrup. Their products are FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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From left: Chick Deegan ’63 and her husband, Mike, at the Townhouse at the Kensington in London before their British Isles cruise; Marge ’63 and Jeb Felter ’63 enjoying a walk through their neighborhood; Marge ’63 and Jeb Felter ’63 with their children and grandchildren. for sale at over 50 health food stores and on their website. They have two sons, Jon, who is a senior in high school with many interests and skills and is a student leader in Boy Scouts and helps with farm chores, and Collin, a rising 9th grader (6’2’’ - so far!) who is a key player on two soccer teams and a track-and-field team.

Susan Townsend spent a lot of time this year in Colorado in both the summer and winter, grateful for being able to ski, hike, bike, golf, and enjoy concerts and good weather. She cherished the time spent with all her grandchildren and had two graduations this spring.

Sydney Townsend graduated from Notre Dame and had wonderful graduation celebrations! Brendan Townsend graduated from St Paul’s School and is headed to the University of Denver.

Susan continues to enjoy playing golf with her grandson, Skyler Kessenich ’18 and she is fortunate to be able to see granddaughter, Sophia Kessenich ’21, in Colorado where she is enjoying working in Glenwood Springs. In May, Lily KokForbush and two of her friends traveled with a group to see Indonesia and Bali.

They experienced wonderful things, like a visit to a dance school where boys and girls are taught traditional Balinese dances, accompanied by gamelan instruments. After the tour she met her daughter, Tina, in Bali for a few days of snorkeling and walking on the black sand beach with a view of the holy Agung Volcano nearby. Then they returned to Singapore for another week and they visited the Gardens by the Bay. This year Chick Fetter Deegan and her husband, Mike, have been on cruises to Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the British Isles.

To celebrate Chick’s 80th birthday, they spent a long weekend at BlackBerry Farm with their daughter and son-in-law, Megan and John Burkhart and some

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rare times with their granddaughters, Kate and Meredith, and all their family.

Kate is in her fifth year in architecture at Tulane and Meredith is a sophomore at the University of Texas in Austin in Business. Chick and Mike also enjoyed their annual trip to Glen Arbor, Mich. with family before they begin their move to a retirement community. Donna Hasslinger has been enjoying meeting friends and family for lunch and attending the lifetime learning classes for seniors offered through the Osher-sponsored program in Montgomery County and Howard County. Osher recently provided funds for Towson University to begin a program of lifetime learning classes at the university just in time for her return to Baltimore after living in the Washington, D.C. area for over 50 years. We also have some sad news this year. One of our classmates, Gretchen Taylor Mayr passed away as did Judy Klingelhofer O’Mara’s husband, Dr. Jack O’Mara.

Our thoughts are with Judy and with Gretchen’s family.

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Prepared by Sally Huff Leimbach

Friends Class of 1964 is still looking for someone in our class to take over the role of Class Secretary vacated last year by seemingly irreplaceable Susan Grathwohl Dingle. Perhaps changing to a more appealing title would be helpful.

Consider a title of Class Journalist, Class Recorder, Class Scribe, Class Archivist or Class Ambassador. Better yet, if you take the job, we will let you make up your own title! Speaking of Susan Grathwohl Dingle, she continues to enjoy her adopted state of Washington living near her son and family. Sue also continues to love her role as Poet Laureate of Clark County, Washington State. How lucky they are to have her!

She defended her MFA in Writing thesis at Pacific University in Oregon on June 22, with Greg Neumann in attendance.

“Grats” gave a poetry reading before an audience of students and distinguished faculty spanning multiple generations.

Greg Neumann is fully retired from NASA Goddard. His kinetic sculpture “Loose Bushings” entered the Baltimore race on May 3, and won the “Sock Creature of the Universe” award for the homemade sock creature “Scabbers”. The six-yearold judge was obviously a fan of Ron Weasley. This was the fifth such race Greg has entered, here and in Lowell, Mass. A team “Friendship” from Friends School also raced this year and won “Best Pit Crew” award. Neither team aced the course this time - the mud was a cruel obstacle. Results can be found at https://kineticbaltimore.com. I was dealt a BIG surprise when I picked up my husband Wendell’s Spring 2025 issue of “Johns Hopkins Magazine” to see on the front advertising an enclosed article, “MAN OF MYSTERY: The yedi calls an alum back to Nepal”. Yes, beginning on page 48, a fascinating article about Class of 1964 (Hopkins Class of 1967), Dan Taylor. Dan, can you send the class a link to be able to read the article? I had a recent conversation with Savitri Ariosa Gauthier. She and her husband Doug moved about a year ago to Broadmead CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community) in Cockeysville, Md. They are happy about their move. Joe Cowan has two grandsons playing lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University, Joe’s college alma mater. You may remember that Hank Kaestner ’63 played lacrosse with Joe at Friends and also at Hopkins.

Hank’s grandson will also be playing at Hopkins this coming season. You might want to check out the Friends School grandson legacies playing for Johns

From left: A homemade sock creature named “Scabbers” by Greg Neumann ’64 for which he won the “Sock Creature of the Universe” award; Class of 1964 Susan Grathwohl Dingle and Greg Neumann Hopkins next spring. This past March, Wendell and I, Sally Huff Leimbach, took our first Viking Cruise on the Rhine River. We highly recommend Viking to you. So grand seeing the cities and windmills where we stopped and all the magnificent castles. We were celebrating Wendell’s 80th birthday, which many of us will be facing in 2026. So for 2026, we hope to take our children and grandchildren on something like a Viking Cruise, to celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary, my 80th birthday, daughter Lindsay Leimbach ’84’s 60th birthday, and grandson McAlister’s 18th birthday.

We aspire to have 10 ages traveling together 18, 22, 27, 29, 53, 56, 60, 80 (me), 80 (Wendell’s brother), and 81. To be continued. On a more sober note, Carl Ziegaus and I were in contact last fall. He said it was fine for me to share the following with Friends School and you. Carl is now living in Ohio Veterans Home RM 137C, 2003 Veterans Blvd., Georgetown, Ohio 451210. His email is cwziegaus@MSN.com. Carl’s time serving as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam in the 1960’s exposed him to “Agent Orange” and his health has suffered due to that exposure.

However, during my conversation with him last fall, Carl was upbeat and accepting. And I end on a sad but with traces of happy news. Laurie Owen Keene lost her beloved husband, Micheal Keene ’63, on January 1, 2025.

Their son, Tony, has been a great comfort to her. The happier part is that I and other members of my family will be visiting with Laurie mid-August as we will be attending a family destination wedding being held on Kent Island, Md., where Laurie has a farm. Blessings to each and everyone!

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Nina Lasagna Patry ninapatry@icloud.com

It is mid-July 2025, and I am once again in the Adirondack Mountains. My family began vacationing here 70 years ago, just after I finished first grade at Friends School. That was 1955, my first year at Friends. This place, purchased by my grandfather about 100 years ago, has always been a blessing to our family.

This year, on the day we were leaving to come here, my husband pointed out to me that the insect bite on my arm had turned into a bull’s eye rash and I should definitely see someone and do something about it. Silly me, I was only noticing that there was an interesting shape forming around the insect bite....I was not computing that it was the infamous bull’s eye rash. Since we were packing up to drive two hours from Rutland, Vt., to the Adirondacks, I definitely did not want to go to the ER at the hospital. I needed to get my little dog bathed, buy some food at the farmers’ market, and get together everything my dog, my kitty, and I needed for our time in the mountains. Well, turns out that telemed is the new way to get medical help quickly. I found a link online, submitted my information - including a picture of my rash and the pharmacy I would like a script called in to. Shortly after I submitted the last info required, my cell phone rang. I had a fairly brief conversation with the gentleman on the phone, and he said he would call their prescription center who would call in a prescription for me. (When I speak to people whom I don’t know, but who are helping me with whatever kind of information, etc. I’m looking for, I often get curious and ask where in the world they are. In this case, the man I spoke with lives and works in the Philippines.)

My husband picked up the doxycyline while I packed up and went to the market. This long introduction is also my main excuse for not having gotten any class notes in until now, the night before my “extension” deadline. Our class has had two “Zoom Reunion” calls this year - one in January and one in May. We had about 10-12 people on each call. As in the past, I relied on Jac Knust to provide the Zoom link. And, as in the past, Jac and I had fun conversations with lots of laughter prior to each Zoom gathering. With my DEADLINE looming, I called Jac tonight for a reminder of what the heck we laughed so hard about.

He said I should report that he and I have discovered that the secret to a happy relationship is not living with your significant other. I’ll hasten to say that we intend no offense at all to long happily married couples who co-habitate! And I know we have some such people in our class! Bunny Paternotte Sully, David Wilson, Bruce Manger, Sue Lang Yohn, Debbie Frank, Kathy Harlan Yeager, Reed Kaestner, Steve Lynch, Claudia Langebartels Koark and, of course, Alan and Meredith Paine Leroy come to mind. And I know we have others! Those mentioned I either spoke with prior to our Zooms and/or were on the calls. Jac, who has been working diligently on his farm and is making real progress there, also reports that he is a happy member of a program called Aging Gracefully, run

by Dr. Warren Ross. Apparently Dr. Ross, who is 78 or 79 - right in our age group - enjoys activities such as backpacking in New Zealand with weights in his knapsack. And he wants to help others pack more life into their years, too. Two people who were long-time members of our class, but did not graduate with us are Janet Kennedy ’65 and Stuart Sands. Janet, who skipped ahead and FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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From left: Class of 1967 Tom Burton, Steve Asper, Geoff Greif, and John Holman gathered at the Towson Diner; Drawing of the redevelopment of the historic Pikesville National Guard Armory that Shelley Cole Morhaim ’67 is leading

graduated a year ahead of us, now lives in Gap, France with her husband and writes: “Howard and I have been in this remote corner of France for 10 years now.

Gap is not too far from the Italian border, or if we headed north we would reach Switzerland. We came for the mountains and for the mini-adventure of living abroad in a place that was unfamiliar for both of us. (Also prices of real estate here are much more accessible than in Britain: Howard is English like my dad.)

It’s a small town, unpretentious, and quite friendly.” Thanks to Debbie Frank for putting me back in touch with Janet after 60 years!!!! Janet joined us on our Zoom call in May. Stuart Sands and I are in irregular contact – he’s in good shape, wishes everyone well, and says, “Stay Healthy!” Steve Lynch is still on the West Coast, as are his son and daughter.

He and his wife Doris/Dee have three granddaughters. Steve reports he LOVES woodworking. (I hope I’m reading my scribbles from our conversation correctly.) Kathy Harlan Yeager now serves as assistant minister in her church and handles many responsibilities in that capacity. As always, I love being in touch with classmates. Forgive me for any omissions or errors.

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Secretary needed! To volunteer, email alumni@friendsbalt.org

Shelley Cole Morhaim shares: “As Board Chair of the nonprofit Pikesville Armory Foundation, I have been leading the redevelopment of the historic Pikesville National Guard Armory. The Armory is a 17-acre campus with over 250,000 square feet in five buildings. The redevelopment is a public-private partnership to build a community center for arts, recreation, and open space. Current activities include outdoor concerts and art installations,

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venues for veterans, community meetings, and private events. When completed in 2029, the Armory will house a stateof-the-art senior center, playing fields, walking path, artist studios, destination playground, performance venues, pickle ball and basketball courts, makerspace, and meeting and event spaces. If you’d like a tour or more information, see: transformpikesvillearmory.org.” John Holman reports that several classmates gathered for lunch at the Towson Diner as they do from time to time and caught up with each other. Tom Burton is retired on Kent Island and continues his interest in music. Steve Asper is still selling real estate in the Annapolis area. Geoff Greif is closing in on retirement and has enrolled in a Master’s program in writing at Hopkins. I, John Holman, serve on the Landmark Preservation Commission of Baltimore County among other volunteer activities.

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Arlene Bowes adbowesdmd@gmail.com

Tim Pitts visited Bernes sur Oise, France in 2024 to see a World War II exhibit that included his 2018 book, When I Look Back: The War Letters of Fitje Pitts 1943-1945. The book, through letters and photos, told his mother’s story of being a Red Cross volunteer in war-torn Europe. Arlene Dannenberg Bowes celebrated a collective 75th birthday with her Swarthmore College 1972 classmates at the school’s annual Reunion Weekend.

It was a fun excuse to return to campus on an off-year.

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Helen Blumberg helen.blumberg@gmail.com Ben Lentz lentzb51@gmail.com

With characteristic wit, Julia Frank shares that “Late to the party as usual,

my children have now brought forth four grandchildren – each of two daughters has a matched set of two boys or two girls. We had four kids under two with us in the mountains this summer. Meanwhile, I finished updating a famous book my father Jerome D. Frank wrote ‘Persuasion and Healing: A Comparative Study of Psychotherapy.’ Recently published by Johns Hopkins Press, it was a true labor of love, with emphasis on the labor part.

Otherwise, I am still working a little, singing with Encore, and not getting parts in local theater productions.” An update from Ron Kovach: “Not only did I visit with Helen Blumberg and Louise Wagner several times this year, I also had some interesting travel. I spent two weeks in Cape Cod and also took trips to Oklahoma, Georgia, New York (a memorable backstage tour of the Metropolitan Opera), the Virgin Islands, and Florida. My biggest adventure was a couple of weeks in Morocco. I even spent a night in the desert with my trusty camel! Finally, I travelled to the fjords of Norway in September.” Christine Ramsey says “I still live in Narbeth, Pa. but my husband and I are beginning to declutter our 3-story house, with the goal of less stairs and household chores when we find something simpler and smaller. My eldest, Emily, is a social worker, fluent in Spanish, who works with clients living in the harder parts of Philly. We delight in seeing her every week for dinner. My son Ian and his family now live in Philadelphia after years of being in Boston. My two grandchildren and their parents make life so much sweeter. I taught in three different Philadelphia Friends Schools: Germantown, Friends Select, and Friends Central. My granddaughter Penny attends Green Street School in Germantown where my grandson will join her when he turns four. After many years of attending

From left: Tim Pitts ’68, third from the left, in Bernes sur Oise 2024 along with the town’s mayor, second from the left; Carl Robbins ’70 received the 2025 Jerilyn Ross Clinician Advocate Award from the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America); Peter Kaestner ’71 after sighting his 10,000th species of birds the Radnor Friends Meeting in Bryn Mawr, I have now become a member of the meeting. It feels right, even if it took so many years to just do it!” Bob Scholz confirms that “In my 74 years on this earth I have never responded to these entreaties from Friends School, but time is running short. After 35 years in private law and five years as Maryland Governor Hogan’s Chief Counsel, I retired at 70. Since then, Rebecca and I have done some travelling. I spend most of my days studying at St. Mary’s Seminary, taking courses, and reading anything that interests me. There are also many side trips to New Orleans to visit our grandchild, Maren Schodell. Life is good.” Louise Wagner reflects that “This past year has been full of ups and downs including difficult home renovations, a trip to Ireland marred by a bad case of Covid, the loss of my beloved dog Lillie at Christmas 2024, adopting my new dog Daisy this spring, and a cruise visiting Venice, the Adriatic, and Greece this fall. Happily, I continue to enjoy the love of family and friends.” Helen Blumberg and her husband Bob Burke made trips to New York City, southern Italy, and Greece. “Bob was able to find the home of his grand-uncle in the small Italian town of Matera, an unforgettable highlight. Closer to home, I have been the roadie when Bob performed guitar concerts at several libraries and senior centers. As always, we’re glad that our children and grandchildren live nearby in northern Virginia so that we can try to keep up with them!” Ben Lentz advises that “I have completed my second 3-year term on the Board of the Bronxville (NY) Adult School, a non-profit devoted to continuing education. I served as co-chair for five of my six years on the Board and was honored with a cocktail party. I’m

becoming more aware of the benefits of ceremonies. They can mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. My new chapter started this summer as president of the Working Gardeners of Bronxville, a local gardening club that also performs some community service activities. Janet and I now have 10 grandchildren and number 11 is due later this year.”

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Secretary needed! To volunteer, email alumni@friendsbalt.org

Carl Robbins received the 2025 Jerilyn Ross Clinician Advocate Award from the ADAA (Anxiety and Depression Association of America). “The award honors the memory and lifework of Jerilyn Ross, ADAA’s cofounder and president from 1985 to 2010; it acknowledges a professional who exemplifies excellence and outstanding advocacy for patient education and care, training, and research.” This holds special significance for Carl as his friend and mentor, Dr. Sally Winston (Cofounder and Executive Director of The Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland), was the inaugural recipient of this award in 2010.

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Secretary needed! To volunteer, email alumni@friendsbalt.org

Peter Kaestner shared “Our planned move to the Eastern Shore last year fell through, so we’re still hanging out in Cockeysville. My wife, Kimberly, is a Maryland Master Naturalist, and can often be found on the trails of the Oregon Ridge Park. One daughter lives in Spain and the other has returned to college (St. Mary’s of Maryland) to finish her B.A. Doesn’t look like grandkids are going to be in the picture. Since having reached 10,000 species of birds on my ‘life list’

on February 9, 2024, my life has been hectic. I’ve been invited to speak on three continents, and a writer in New York is penning a book on the achievement.

In the end of 2024, I received the Roger Tory Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Birding Association (the other ABA). When not birding, Kimberly and I play a lot of pickleball and document living organisms in iNaturalist. I’m still an avid Ravens Fan and I am still giddy that Cornell won the NCAA lacrosse championship!”

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Arthur Humphries tom@360signs.com

Jan Heller Levi has resurfaced and says “I apologize for being out of touch for 43 years. News of Gary Blauvelt’s death brought me back. He’s the one who made poetry feel possible for me. Not necessarily by reading my poems, but by the way he ‘taught’ contemporary poetry with his fervent but sardonic intelligence.

Post graduation, my early life in New York City consisted of being an assistant editor at Dell Publishing, public relations writer, then administrator for my alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College; a year in Europe, mostly Italy, with my first husband, a wonderful painter (we’re still dear friends); back in N.Y., free-lance pr writing for Carnegie Hall, The New School, The Hartford Foundation, The Whitney Museum, and others, and then Advertising Sales Representative for The New York Times. During a leave from The New York Times, at a writer’s colony in upstate New York, I met the Swiss novelist, playwright, journalist, and memoirist Christoph Keller; we fell deliriously in love and married a year later.

A year after that, my first book came out and won the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets. It was a FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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From left: Susan Wood Mathur ’72 on a recent travel abroad; The Peacock sisters and their seagull friend!

big deal for me, and a life-changer. That led me to a job teaching creative writing at Hunter College, undergrad and grad, which I loved, and where, over the years, I rose to Full Professor. In 2018, we moved to St. Gallen, Switzerland, Christoph’s hometown, a beautiful valley town. We live on the rise of the Mountain of Roses, a view from our windows looks out over old town St. Gallen with one of the greatest medieval libraries in Europe, past that, and across that, the Mountain of Joy. We’re both still writing – Christoph has published a new novel almost every year, and his memoir, The Best Dancer, about life with a disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (available in English from Penguin Books) was a best-seller in Switzerland. Christoph is ten years younger than me, he has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which has made a wheelchair necessary for him since he was in his early 20s. I have the usual annoying aches and pains of aging, but I can still manage a decent conversation. Warm greetings to all.” Tom Humphries and his wife, De, just returned from a Viking Cruise down the Danube from Budapest, Hungary to Regensburg, Germany. It was their first river cruise, and they really enjoyed it. It was nice to unpack once and cruise from place to place. There were many spectacular things to see and do in Budapest and Vienna: tours, a concert, a massive rose garden, and Lipizzaner Stallions. The other stops were smaller cities with narrow streets winding around cafes, churches and of course a huge Cathedral dripping in gold. The food was great, the crew was incredible, and the weather was very pleasant. A highlight was the people they met. There were many nice, fun people that we were happy to spend time with. Life in Port Ludlow is filled with remodeling, gardening, walking the dogs, playing with

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family and friends, yoga, Qigong, and Tom is still volunteering at the High School Teen Center. Oh, and also doing some protesting. Susan Wood Mathur says “Hello, Classmates! Over the past five years, I have lived in various locations around the world and traveled, teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) both online and in person. A friend of mine called me a “tumbleweed,” and I think it is a very apt description. Now, I live in Duluth, Minn., not far from John and his family, which is terrific. But what’s next? I don’t know. Living overseas is much more affordable (especially in Kazakhstan, where I spent a year teaching English), but I miss my children (twin boys, now 30 years old) and my family. Ian lives in the Los Angeles area, working as a chemical engineer for a pharmaceutical company, and his twin, Shiv, lives in Colorado with his girlfriend. Shiv works remotely for a biotech company in San Diego and is in the finance and business side of things.

My former husband, Ian, Shiv, and I just celebrated their 30th birthday in the Philippines. What an epic adventure! For now, I am happily ensconced in Duluth, enjoying Lake Superior. I still study Russian, play the piano, swim, work out, and teach English. I am not done traveling! There is so much to see in the world, and I have much to see and do before my time is up. I hope to see you all at our next Reunion!” Maggy Young writes, “I am finally a grandmother!” Pixie Newman ’72/’73 shares “her husband Lee Brown and I continue to enjoy our life in Chicago. We are traveling (alone and together) to a variety of places in the U.S. and abroad. This year, it is South Africa, the Canadian Maritimes, and Portugal/ Spain. Plans for next year are underway (Santa Fe, France, and Vancouver/ Victoria). So much to see, explore, and appreciate. As others have said, ‘All who

wander are not lost.’ I have some exciting news on the family front, our youngest daughter, Margaux Newman Brown, was married on June 21. She will be taking on her husband’s last name, Castrogiovanni, and will continue to live in Chicago. Jesse Newman Brown also lives in Chicago and our eldest, Nora Newman Brown, lives in Denver. The occasion of the wedding brought us all together including my siblings, their mates, one of my brother’s sons’ families, my sister-in-law’s family, and Chicago Brown cousins. We shared tons of fun and joyous celebration.” Biff Cox has been enjoying retired life and trying to keep up with kids and grandkids.

Last October he was in Texas for his wife Robyn’s family reunion. They flew into San Antonio to see her daughter, then drove to Corpus Christi to visit her sons, then back to San Antonio. In November they travelled to Boston to see their daughter and watch their grandsons play football. Easter found them back in Corpus Christi for a grandson’s baptism in the Gulf of Mexico. Two weeks later they were back in Boston for lacrosse games with all three grandkids. The following week they dog sat his sister’s 80 pound lab for 10 days. The week after that they had the whole Corpus Christi clan; son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids, up to their house in Bel Air for a week.

Robyn’s son helped Biff do things that he couldn’t do alone since he is smart enough to know that he is getting old (lol!).

Now it’s time for them to relax for the summer. Rob Benson has waited many years to submit his Class Note. Rob retired over 11 years ago from Exxon. After graduate school (Wharton) he joined Exxon (1978) at its Rockefeller Center headquarters in Manhattan, the good old days of big oil. Exxon was trying to diversify into office technology, and he spent two and a half years crossing the

From left: Suzanne Grell Whitney ’72 and Teresa Redd ’72 on a memorial sail for her brother; De and Tom Humphries ’72 in Vienna, Austria U.S. checking on these investments. To learn the oil business, Rob moved from Manhattan to Sale, Australia, a town of 14,000 (2 1/2-hour drive from Melbourne).

It was a flashback to the 1950’s. He was able to play a lot of tennis and squash.

After this, Rob kept moving and worked in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand over a span of 5 1/2 years. He came back to Houston and was involved with the Hong Kong electric utility as well as the Colombian and Australian coal operations. Rob played a key role in modernizing global financial and operational reporting. In between, he collaborated with SAP and spent two intense years on the Exxon Mobil merger.

Now retired, he misses the worldwide travel and the colorful characters he met along the way. Rob is married to a doctor (neonatologist). Her great-greatgrandfather was a Texas Ranger. They have no children and split their time between Houston and Shiner, Texas of beer fame. This spring and summer has been marked by travel for Tom LeGrand, causing him some anguish over the effects of his air travel on climate change.

He spent five weeks in May and June in Mexico, taking intensive Spanish classes and enjoying life, and occasionally working with dog rescue groups when not in class. While the weather there was very hot and humid during the last three weeks (he had no AC), he was happy to be out of Montreal where it rained incessantly and was cold. This July, he will travel to Brisbane, Australia for what will probably be the last professional meeting of his career, spending a week in southern Japan visiting an old friend on the way, and four days in Sydney before flying back to Canada. Other than that, life remains largely unchanged for him, and we are enjoying living in Montreal with its many festivals, happy to be somewhat

isolated from the political craziness afflicting the U.S. and elsewhere.

Here is a poem by Anna Gentzel 06/20/24, aka Judy Ball Here’s a slice of my life: She steps lightly, Feeling the tickle of damp grass.

Birds chirp with anticipation.

Earth’s breath whispers.

Trees awake.

Branches dance and shake.

Mountains call to ancestors who wait.

Drum in hand, she prays.

Then, softly, comes the resonance Of the shaman’s rhythmical beat, As her voice, in song, Clearly welcomes This brand new day.

Mary Carroll Moore is still living in the southern New Hampshire mountains with her family and enjoying retirement in her own busy way. Her third novel, LAST BETS, was published in April and was selected in December for Kirkus Reviews’ Top 100 Best Indie Books of the Year. Kirkus reviews thousands of indie books, and less than 1% receive a coveted starred review (which Mary’s did). Of those, only 100 are selected across all genres for the “Best of” list.

Kirkus is (to many) the Michelin Guide to industry book reviews. A star is like a Michelin three star award. She was honored to be included in the wonderful “How We Spend Our Days” series by novelist Cynthia Newberry Martin who has interviewed so many amazing writers (the likes of Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond!) about a day in their writing life. It’s an inspiring look into the life of working writers. You can read about Mary’s (not-so-typical) writing day. https:// howwespendourdays.substack.com/p/ how-we-spend-our-days-mary-carroll.

Suzanne Grell Whitney sends a picture of Teresa Redd and her when they went on a memorial sail this week for her brother, Rudi. She has been spending a lot of time on the water with her husband; they left the Chesapeake Bay in November 2024 and took their sailboat to Florida.

From there they went to the Bahamas and finally returned to the Chesapeake at the end of April 2025. Suzanne is still doing a lot of volunteering through sailing - Special Olympics, Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating, and Sail Beyond Cancer. Their four grandchildren keep her busy a lot of the time as well.

Doug Balder continues to be involved with OpenPrimaries.org to oppose state legislatures attempting to close their state primaries, mostly in the south. In fact, there is a case they are spearheading in Maryland with the involvement of former Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford challenging the constitutionality of Maryland’s closed primary. He shares “As for travel, I recently visited Lisbon with Joan and learned about Portugal’s world dominance in the 1400 - 1500’s. Lisbon is a wonderful walkable city. I will see Chaco Canyon in New Mexico in October.

The painting and painting learning are progressing and challenge me every day.

Depending on the day, it can bring me joy!” Beth Peacock Holcomb says “Hello from Florida.” She continues riding her bike on the Intracoastal Waterway, caring for feral cats in her neighborhood, as well as seven of her own, and traveling to Maine in the summer to meet up with her sisters. She is trying to count her blessings and make every day count.

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From left: Class of 1973 David Plott, Jackie Ross, Corky Robinson and Jim Schwabe at Brian Kaestner's memorial service in Towson on June 28; David Plott ’73 and his bride Jackie in Thailand on their honeymoon; Class of 1976 Lottchen Shivers, Lisa Chang, Doug Mason, Debbie Brown, and Lisa Corrine Davis in NYC

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Donald Hubbard donhubbard@msn.com Sarah O’Loughlin soloughlin00@gmail.com

Two weddings and a very sad funeral to report this time. David Plott writes: “Life continues to be an adventure! Last year I proposed to my wonderful partner Jackie Chandler in Blacktail Canyon along the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and (lucky me) she accepted! We were married in the historic Circuit Courthouse in Annapolis on January 3 and spent our three-week honeymoon traveling in Thailand and Laos. On the ‘kid’ front, my daughter, Dr. Caroline Plott began a fellowship in cardiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital this summer. Jackie recently became a great-grandmother, accomplishing that milestone before her 60th birthday later this year!” Congrats David! Andy Crosby reports that his son R.M. Nelson Crosby III was married to Catherine Hamel on June 28 a few days after Andy and Page’s 40th wedding anniversary. The wedding was also in Annapolis, at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Margo Halle writes that she is “still happy to call Baltimore my home; working at Jan Goldsmith Braun’s consignment store one or two times a week or whenever Jan needs a helping hand. Cannot believe we are living in such turbulent times - AGAIN - why can’t we all just get along! Sending hugs and love to all that will listen.” Amen. John Grill checked in with an older piece of news: “A small reunion of sorts was held in Nantucket last September of classmates who worked at the Moby Dick Inn 50 years ago. In attendance were John Grill, Rob Preston, the formerly MIA Rick Blair, and chaperoned by Bruce Preston ’71. There

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were FSB visitors back in the day who stopped by to hang out or crash, namely Margo Halle, Anne Bryan Griffiths ’74, Margaret Grill Tickner ’75 and Marcy Grill ’69. Not in attendance but having done time at “The Dick” were Ken Spence, David Plott, and Andy Cooper.”

Jack Robbins has retired but continues to paint, with exhibitions at the Peninsula Gallery in Lewes, Del., and Manor Mill Gallery in Monkton, Md., as well as a regional juried exhibition at Harford Community College. You can check out his Instagram @jrobbart for recent paintings and his future exhibit schedule.

Holly Catzen Bricken writes: “This was the year for BIG birthdays, and I’m happy to say that going into the next decade, I’m still healthy, love being retired from my advertising career, and feel very lucky. I live near where I grew up (horse country), still ride and foxhunt during the season. I’m Secretary of the Green Spring Valley Hounds Hunt Club AND the Green Spring Valley Garden Club, and so far have not made any faux pas mixing them up. Like yelling ‘Tally Ho’ at the garden ladies, or trying to deadhead a foxhound.... Son Tim Bricken ’15 (28) lives here and has a good desk job but has become a passionate fly fisherman and land preservation advocate, and I suspect the open spaces of the Western states are calling to him. Would love to connect with any and all alums who are nearby!” On a sad note, Chris Felder shared this remembrance on the passing of his mother Roberta Jean Allen, who was a key part of the daily soundtrack of my time at Friends. “We remember with deep gratitude Roberta Jean Allen (19302025), who shared her life, lively spirit, and music with our school community for over six years as an elementary music educator and general school

accompanist. Her presence at the piano and organ guided countless students in morning collection, opening and closing those cherished moments with warmth and grace. She also lent her talents to our upper school musicals, providing the musical foundation that helped bring our productions to life. Roberta’s quiet yet charmingly snarky strength as a mentor and undying devotion to the power of music contributed to the lively spirit of this place. Her legacy lives on in the rhythms of our memories and the harmony she helped create within our community. We hold her in the Light.”

Finally, we were all devastated to hear of the passing of Brian Kaestner on April 8, 2025. I speak for everyone when I say Brian was one of the good ones, both while he was at Friends and later as a teacher who, for 44 years, exerted a powerful influence on so many of his students at Saint Mary’s Hall in San Antonio. Reading the obituary on the SMH webpage (http://bit.ly/3TXbC8j) truly gives a sense of the impact he had there as a teacher and a coach. Hoping Jane, his wife of 45 years, and his son Branden can find a bit of solace in the outpouring of love from his students, friends, and colleagues. Peace in Heaven, Brian.

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Keith Tabatznik kdtsoc@aol.com

Cecily Morrow (Friends School Pre-K through fourth grade) writes: “Hello school mates! Am currently doing an MFA in scriptwriting at Smith College, my alma mater, writing a television pilot and feature film script and the books upon which they are based. Just got awarded a patent for a medical device I invented.

Loving living in Northampton, Mass. Lots of tennis because there are no real high level figure skating rinks around

From left: Class of 1976 Doug Mason, Lisa Chang, Debbie Brown, Lottchen Shivers, and Lisa Corrine Davis at the 68th StreetHunter College subway station where Lisa’s artwork is installed; Keith Tabatznik ’76 during an international soccer game he commentated for; Donna Sue Anderson Ryan ’76 celebrated the marriage of her son this year here. Recently was teaching skating via Zoom in Malaysia and various places in U.S. Writing the authorized biography of my former coach in figure skating; he taught 16 World and Olympic Champions, including Dick Button, Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton. Very interesting life. Am also tutoring students in writing and the college application process which I love!”

From Debbie Brown: “Lisa Chang and Doug Mason came to New York for a week’s vacation in March and I joined them for a couple of days. We met Lisa Corrine Davis and Lottchen Shivers at the Hunter University subway to see Lisa’s two art mosaic installations. She is a wonderful painter and had two of her pieces turned into mosaics and then installed in the subway. They were amazing!” More on this awesome minireunion from Lisa Corrine Davis – the star of the show!! “I had an artwork installed in N.Y.C. and a bunch of my dear Friends School gang came. You can read more about the show here: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/ news/abstract-mosaics-are-bringing-apowerful-message-to-this-upper-eastside-subway-station-012825. I will have a solo exhibition at Miles McEnery Gallery in NY opening on September 4.

My daughter is working for Wilke Farr & Gallagher in New York and my son is teaching and publishing graphic novels.” Hugh Stevenson shares that “he is recently retired and still living with large dogs in a small house in D.C. And still raising teenagers! All the best to everyone!!” Donna Sue Anderson Ryan sends pictures of her son’s wedding: “Jon and Bipasha Ryan.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Lasted for three days!” Congrats!!! Keith Tabatznik reports that he continues to work for U.S. Soccer as a Coach Educator and

a Talent ID Scout as well as still doing some TV/Streaming broadcasts – the latest being June 9 when he was the analyst for an international game between Al Ain of United Arab Emirates and Auckland City FC of New Zealand.

An update from Dennyse Eckert Gunts and Bucky Gunts ’68: “50th reunion?!

How did that happen?! There are so many memories. I believe this is the first time I’ve contributed anything to our class notes. I will try my best not to over share. Bucky and I moved from Old Saybrook, Conn. to Portsmouth, N.H. last fall. We are right next to Prescott Park in the very historic South End. We are five minutes away from our daughter, Kate, and her wife, Nikki, which is very nice.

Our son, B.J., lives a very busy life in New Canaan, Conn., with his wife, Julie, and their three busy kids — Brady (6 1/2), Ellie (4 1/2) and Charlie (1). I was very sad to hear about Steve Balser passing. He danced at our wedding, and we stayed in touch over the years. He was a good guy — in spite of his dance moves. I will remember the “Von Schliefflen plan” until the day I die, because you “go around ze hub.” His enthusiasm engaged a 14-year-old teenager who otherwise would have had no interest in world history. It was also sad news about Gary Blauvelt H ’97. Mr. Blauvelt is one of the teachers I wish I could have a do-over with. I didn’t appreciate him when I had the chance. (However, I appreciated his Collection short films. And I learned to appreciate Miss Havisham.) I have always thought that different classes had different personalities, and we definitely had the best class ever! So many smart, talented individuals! I was very lucky to have attended Friends School.” From MaryAnne Bues Bartlett: “I’ve been spending a lot of time in my garden

this spring. It’s been very dry for the PNW. We had to start watering in April instead of the usual July. I managed to keep harvesting all winter: kale, garlic, onions, and various greens. It’s time now to replace those plants. Peas and strawberries are getting ripe, raspberries and blueberries, next, and my walking onions need to be directed to the safe places to plant themselves (those are some *weird*plants) ...and my chair out there is my favorite place to be!”

Dennyse Eckert Gunts ’76 and Bucky Gunts ’68 with their family

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From left: John Dockendorf ’77, Jon Talamo ’78, Josh Marvil ’78, and Peter Clark ’78 in Utah to ski; Jean Young Butler ’81, Nell Smith ’81, Kathy Lamb ’77, Katie Hearn ’81, Citlali Bacmeister ’80, and Bill Hearn ’77 at Perry Stewart's ’77 celebration of life service; Class of 1983 James Macfarlane, Cameron Gott, Todd Whiteford and Marc Gamble in Maine

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Robert Lenhard rlenhard@comcast.net

Our class held an online discussion about the passing of friends from our era: Clay Capute, Peter Linden, Doug Norvell, and Perry Stewart. It was particularly striking the effect Clay had on his classmates, some on the field, but most off the field.

While we often speak of teachers as those who most impact our development in school, Clay clearly played an outsized role for many in helping to bring support and a sense of fun to their time at Friends. In other news, after leaving Friends, Haile Abebe earned advanced degrees in Agronomy and Microbiology and biochemistry before a career in the pharmaceutical industry, retiring from Eli Lilly. He has also helped his wife of 35 years run a coffeeshop and a full-service Ethiopian restaurant. He recounted for the class the trauma of having two of his brothers kidnapped by Marxist guerrillas in Ethiopia, one killed and one released after two years captivity with the help of the Canadian government.

Haile is working on two books, one a novel about a musical genius in sixth century Ethiopia, and a second about his own life. J.H. Rip Verkerke continues to teach law at U.V.A., and write about employment and contract law, artificial intelligence in higher education, and the law of restitution. He discovered in 2021 that he had a secret sister who was given up for adoption at birth. She lives with her husband in Ibiza, and their families get together annually, including in Croatia and Venice for the Biennale.

Teaching, travel, and upkeep on his 1950-era home in Charlotte keep him engaged. Jeff Romero has retired after nearly 30 years as a companion animal

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veterinarian, owning a practice with his veterinarian wife, and working for years as a relief veterinarian. He has added a retirement puppy to go along with his two adult standard poodles, and finds himself playing pickleball, collecting vinyl, learning the bass guitar, and kayaking.

Acting on what many of us only dream about, Lilith Radford Fondulas and her husband have retired and are moving to France near Toulouse, while Sally Evans Yost has moved from Baltimore to her newly remodeled home in Hampstead, Md. near Westminster. Lisa Halle Hunt survived another wet and wild winter in California, which gave way to some beautiful wildflowers. She and her husband continue their gravel biking adventures, including a five day race in Bend, Ore. Bob Lenhard is in the process of retiring from the practice of law, having served as outside counsel to the Biden and Harris presidential campaigns and the DNC in the last election. President Trump fired Bob from his role on the Board of Trustees of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he sat on the Executive Committee and was Chair of the Audit Committee, so he reports he will need to find something new to do with his increasingly free time.

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Douglas Stevenson dougstevenson@hotmail.com

John Dockendorf ’77, Jon Talamo, Josh Marvil, and Peter Clark all got together for some Utah skiing.

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Dahira Lievano-Binford baltimorebinfordbunch@gmail.com

Carol Drobisz, her husband Rich Fordham, Nell Smith, Adreon Hubbard, Andrew Falcon, and Danine Klein Falcon attended the Friends School Russian program’s Old New Year Party on January 11, 2025. Nell Smith shared that several members of the Class of 1981 attended Perry Stewart’s ’77 celebration of life on January 31, 2025.

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Shawn Dorman dorman.shawn@gmail.com

Christian Hillabrant moved to Europe last year to take a new job in Dussledorf, a beautiful Germany city along the river Rhine. He hopes to see his classmates if they decide to travel across the “pond” in the future. James Macfarlane, Cameron Gott, Todd Whiteford and Marc Gamble got together in Maine for a weekend of oysters and old stories.

Carol Drobisz ’81, her husband Rich Fordham, Nell Smith ’81, Adreon Hubbard ’81, Andrew Falcon ’81, and Danine Klein Falcon ’81 at the 2025 Russian Old New Year celebration

From left:Class of 1984 Martha Craig, Edward Kane, Greg Houston, Staige Davis Hodges, Jon Meyers and Rebecca Randall; The Christopher Vaughn ’89 Clan!

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Staige Hodges sdhpdx@gmail.com

A few times a year, members of the Class of 1984 gather for a mini-reunion of sorts - and much hilarity ensues. In June, eight classmates, Martha Craig, Edward Kane, Greg Houston, Staige Davis Hodges, Jon Meyers, Rebecca Randall, Jennifer Galambos, and Kathy MacPhail Cheek, met for dinner. I am excited to share that Jennifer Galambos is being inducted into the Franklin & Marshall 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame this fall, one of eight alumni in the 2025 class. Franklin and Marshall Athletic Department lauded her long list of program and school records, and said that Jennifer “dominated on the courts for the Franklin & Marshall women’s tennis coach. ... By the time her career had finished, Galambos had accumulated a record of 86-22 in singles, in addition to a 62-10 mark in doubles. Those 86 singles victories still rank second in school history to this day, while her 62 wins in doubles are the fourth-highest total in program history. ... While [her] play brought her numerous individual accolades, it also helped raise the level of play for the entire team as Franklin & Marshall won its first-ever Middle Atlantic Conference Championship in women’s tennis during the spring of 1985.”

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in their 2024 BSO Academy. I hadn’t touched my flute in six years, and it felt great to be back in shape and playing in an orchestra. It was so much fun, I just attended the 2025 Academy, and I think I’ll make it an annual thing. In July 2024, Joel and I headed out on safari in Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. We saw the Okavango Delta by air, land, and water. It was truly the trip of a lifetime! As for work, I am still doing compliance consulting and my little company is managing to survive. I accepted a position as Of Counsel to Princeton Business Law, so I have been practicing law a bit more over the past year in between consulting, investigations, and expert witness engagements. I feel very fortunate to still love the work I do.” Carolyn Hoffman Karoll has been giving webinars on

weight stigma and group therapy for eating disorders, both at professional conferences and through the University of Maryland School of Social Work’s continuing education program. She has also been posting regularly on her blog for Psychology Today called Eating Disorder Recovery. You can read it here: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/eatingdisorder-recovery. On the personal side, she and Julia Niederman have been making more of an effort to hang out, and they recently had a really fun dinner with Susie Schoppert Wallengren.

The Christopher Vaughn Clan is aging and growing. Bo (17) and Chase (15) are both at Gilman. Julie and I keep plugging along professionally to cover tuition! We recommend the Bill Moyers documentary “Two American Families”

Meghan P. Cochran meghan@stern.net

Amy McDougal had an exciting year: “I took my mom on a trip to Lithuania in June 2024. All of her grandparents were born there and came to America in the early 1900s to escape service in the Russian army. It’s a beautiful country with friendly people, rich history, and the big surprise - superb food! After Lithuania, I had the pleasure of playing with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Photos from Amy McDougal ’89’s recent safari trip FRIENDSBALT.ORG | FRIENDS SCHOOL

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From left: The Class of 1990 at their 35th Reunion Party; Jay Pecora ’90 at the O’s outing organized by the Class of 1990 for their 35th Reunion; Members of the Class of 1995 at their class party. on Frontline. Chris keeps in good contact with Eli Balser, Phil McIntyre, Jon Kallen, Plato Hieronimus, Jon Sherman, Leslie Belgrad Finton, Jen Asplen Little, Mary Collins Pellegrino, and Heather Deering Crosby. “I’m BAAaack!” Early in 2025, David Rosenberger and wife Jennifer moved to Baltimore and are currently living downtown. “Having lived in Manhattan since 1996, this represents quite a change — one I never thought I would make, but as the saying goes, (People) plan and God laughs.

Jennifer got a great opportunity as Chief Development Officer for Baltimore Corps, which strives to do good here in Charm City. She and her band of do-gooders hosted a successful VIP event with Gov. Wes Moore on June 26. Despite not being VIP enough to get on that guest list, I am maintaining my residential real estate business with Douglas Elliman in Manhattan. For those who don’t know, my business partner for more than 10 years is Damon Kinard ’90. While working on getting licensed to sell real estate here in Maryland (not yet sure what I’ll do with that credential), I have been pursuing a passion project of fundraising for veterans through golf. Shout out to Dave Brown ’88 who has been so welcoming and helpful in introducing me to Baltimore area golf courses. My golf handicap remains my ankle and more recently my knee, which was replaced in 2023. I am enjoying spending more time with mom (Barbara), who resides at Cross Keys. My least favorite thing since returning home has been the potholes! I truly had nightmares about them for two days when we first arrived.

Things are still bumpy, but I would welcome the chance to reconnect with old classmates.” Jennifer Asplen Little is still living in Baltimore with her

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husband, Jim, and is in her 21st year at McDonogh School, where she serves as the sophomore class dean. Her son, Cole, recently earned his M.S. in Mental Performance from Ithaca College and is now pursuing a second Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Marymount University. Her daughter, Mary, graduated magna cum laude from Villanova and is currently working toward a Master of Environmental Management degree at Duke University. If anyone in sports psychology/mental performance, or environmental science is hiring, Jen would love to connect! Meghan Stern Cochran was in Washington, D.C. for much of 2024 working at the U.S. Digital Service (pre-DOGE) before beginning a permanent role at FEMA as director of digital services, modernizing government systems. Outside of that she continues to volunteer as a host with the New Books Network and studies religion, specifically how people (religious or not) find fulfillment. Above all, she spends as much time with Axel (13) as he is willing to share.

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Natalie Ferguson natalie.s.ferguson@gmail.com

Holter Graham and his family are happy and healthy, unevenly splitting their time between Manhattan and the Catskills.

Holter recently celebrated 12 years full remission, and says of the 35th Reunion: “Once we were finally allowed to have a reunion, we nailed it! Great turnout, great O’s game, great time on campus, and great class party! Old friendships stayed strong, new friendships bloomed, and the 3 1/2 decades just made us seasoned like any self-respecting crabs in need of a little Old Bay. We were able to honor Mr. Blauvelt—whose gifts were unstoppable by all but time—with our donations. And I respectfully nominate A.Jay’s beard as our class mascot. Go Fighting Quakers!!” As Holter said, our 35th reunion did not disappoint. We had 33 classmates in attendance, some of whom had not been back for a reunion in 20-25 years. Jenni Corrigan came the furthest from Portugal along with Becky Felix Coplin, Amelia Layne Norris, Carey Schock, Kurt Schwartz and Jahan Sagafi

The Class of 1990 at an O’s outing over Alumni Weekend 2025

From left: The Class of 1995 celebrated their 30th Reunion and had a great time catching up with those who were able to attend Alumni Weekend 2025.

from the West Coast. Jahan received the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award for his work as a social justice lawyer- we’re all very proud of the amazing career he’s forged, fighting for the rights of others.

Friday night half the group spent their time karaoke-ing while the other half went to the O’s game. The O’s even managed to win for us! In addition to classmates we already mentioned the following friends were in attendance: Alexis Alexander Epperly, Will Rubenstein, Sarah Farrant, Josh Davis, Morgan Gabler, Read Carter, Kippy Joseph, Francesca Byrd Reed, Caitlin Bell-Hicken, Shannon Lattik Koinzon, David Chiu, Leo D’Aleo, Tyler Buck, Matt Baughman, Maggie MiceliSullivan, George Webb, Chris Pittenger, Firmin DeBrabander, Cheryle Oshman Blunt, Seth Wright, Jon Rogers and Dan Escalante. If you’re in the Class of 1990 and reading this, please consider coming in five more years. We had a blast and it truly felt like old times reminiscing, sharing a drink and catching up after many years.

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David Knowles knowlesdavid@gmail.com

The Class of ’92 is unusually quiet this time around. We have a few updates about kids and schools. Seth Niman’s daughter Emily graduated from the University of Wisconsin in the spring, while his son Adam finished his freshman year at Trinity College. The only news that I could get out of Arsh Mirmiran is that he’s still as handsome as ever. His daughter Gigi attends Calvert School and his older daughter Maggie entered 9th grade at Roland Park Country School.

Ann Goldman Giroux and her husband have moved from Baltimore to the Isle of Man. In a year, they will move into a historic home once renovations are complete. Her eldest will graduate from

NYU Tisch School of the Arts in May, and her youngest starts University of Southern California in the fall for film production.

As for me, David Knowles, my daughter Kaitlyn is a junior at Severna Park High School and Emmy is in 8th grade at Severna Park Middle School. We did a couple of college visits this summer. That’s all for now. Please reach out if you have news or just want to say hey.

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Beth Bodnar beth.bodnar1@gmail.com

Class of 1995 had an amazing turn out for our 30th reunion this May! Thank you to everyone who was able to attend.

It was fantastic to see everyone and catch up. Peter Gaines loved seeing so many classmates at the May reunion.

He writes “Thank you to everyone who made the trip and who supported the fund we all established in Hiram’s name at Friends!” Peter is setting off a new chapter of his own, beginning this summer as Head of School at Princeton Friends. If you’re passing through central Jersey, please give him a shout.

Hilary Baldwin Ruley is also starting a new chapter. She writes “My tenure as the Co-President of the Friends Alumni Association Board ended at the close of this past school year. It has been fun working on the Board with other alums, including Alison Bomgardner Miller from our class. I will transition to Immediate-Past President in the next school year, which will also be my daughter’s senior year at Friends.

In addition to spending the summer looking at colleges, I am growing into my new role as Chief of the General Counsel Division in the Baltimore City Law Department.” Several members of our class are making moves. Elizabeth Jackson Westman writes that her family

(husband Dennis and nine year old son John) have moved back to Maryland!

They have settled in Odenton after many duty station moves, including two years in Italy. They look forward to settling down now and staying put in Maryland for quite some time as Dennis’ military retirement is coming soon. Mike Fine and Whitney Manger Fine have also moved. Mike writes “After 20+ years in N.Y.C., we recently moved to Villanova, Pa. with our two daughters, Riley (12) and Blakely (9), and our Aussie Mountain Doodle, Berkeley. We loved seeing everyone at reunion and catching up with old friends.” Heather Mied Clark wrote “Dan and I continue to reside in Springfield, Mo. both working with Convoy of Hope - feeding children, empowering women, training farmers, and responding to disasters around the globe. It is exciting work and we’re immensely grateful to be a part! We are officially, successful Bird Launchers (empty nesters)!!!!! Meghann and Mahlen got married a year ago, Daniel is working after playing college football, and Zachary is in boot camp as a Marine! Dan and I are heading for a month long, “we did it” celebration!!

My mom moved to Springfield 18

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From left: Jamie Kavanaugh ’97 with his daughter; Bobby Michel ’97 and his wife Kristin; Charlie Achuff ’99 and his husband Derick; Chris Wright ’02 and his wife Samantha at the 2025 Australian Open months ago after the passing of my dad. I really enjoy having her so close.

I hated to miss the 30th (!!) reunion but Zach graduated high school the same weekend. Life if full and God continues to show His kindness and trustworthiness. We are grateful.” And last but certainly not least, Sujay Pathak writes “I am enjoying dividing time between being a dad to Izzy (they/ them) ’34 and Bella (she/her) ’37, being a husband to my awesome wife Rachel, being a doc at Johns Hopkins, and being a musician around Baltimore. I am honored that my old musical mentor Mr. Paul Yutzy has been joining me on stage lately, and that Mr. John Watt is also a regular at the shows.” As those who live around here know - Mr. Watt is EVERYWHERE.

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Claire Cherlin Kosloff clairekosloff@yahoo.com

Greetings, classmates! I can’t believe it’ll be our 30th Reunion in just two years! Hope to see you all there. I had the pleasure of spending a beach day with Abby Owen Perry this summer in Massachusetts. Abby continues to live in Rhode Island, where she works at a Quaker School (Lincoln) in Providence as a college counselor. She and her husband, James, have three kids: Sam (16), Nate (13) and Rosie (11). The family is a bit obsessed with football - in the fall, Sam has games on Friday nights, James’s team (he is the head coach at Brown University) on Saturdays, and Nate on Sundays. Rosie used to play flag and is considering a return to the sport as flag football continues to be on the rise. Jamie Kavanaugh, his wife Leah and daughter Sonia live in Grand Junction Colorado, three houses away from his sister Bayley Kavanaugh Warner ’00 and her family. They have

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lots of other family nearby including Jamie’s mom and her husband, former Biology teacher George Wright H’03.

Jamie is a Firefighter Paramedic and Leah an ICU Nurse, however, they try to work as little as possible and spend as much time outdoors in the desert and mountains of Colorado as possible.

Steve Meredith took a three week cross county camping trip including stops in South Dakota, Yellowstone, Zion, and Grand Canyon. His eight and 10 yearold girls Beatrice and Alice tolerated the long drives and had a good time.

Steve’s wife Lauren enjoyed herself too (for the most part)! Steve is doing sound for live events and Lauren is working at Towson University. Steve says, “We live out on the old family compound and very much enjoy it.” Bobby Michel shares, “Life’s good. 2025 has been memorable!” Bobby, his wife Kristin, and his family enjoyed lots of travel this year - their annual Spring Break trip to Aruba, a couple days in Big Sky, Montana, a summer vacation in Bethany Beach and a friend’s wedding in San Juan Islands, Washington. His daughter Maggie is seven, enjoyed camps at Roland Park Country School, Bryn Mawr, and Gibson Island, and looks forward to her third year at Calvert School. His son Matthew, five years old, and enjoyed a camp at Embark School. As for me, Claire Cherlin Kosloff, I have now been living in Los Angeles for 24 years and love it! I continue to develop and produce unscripted television series.

My kids are now 16, 14 and nine. My oldest, Alexandra is learning to drive and looking at colleges and I am finding this impossible to believe since I, myself, just graduated from high school a year or two ago? Sending love to all, send updates my way!

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Secretary needed! To volunteer, email alumni@friendsbalt.org

Charlie Achuff shares, “After much delay I finally welcomed my fiance Derick from the Philippines in January, and we are settling into married life in Rockville, Maryland. We are enjoying exploring the area together, spending time with friends and family and relaxing at the beach regularly. I am still working at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda while we cross fingers and toes awaiting the processing of Derick’s green card and work permit.”

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Carrie Runde Paddock carrie.runde@gmail.com

Hello Class of 2001. Mark your calendars for Reunion Weekend 2026! I hope that many of you are able to return to the Friends campus next year for our 25-year Reunion. It is hard to believe that much time has passed since we graduated.

Let’s try and get as many of us together as possible. Molly Kastendieck is still living in beautiful Paso Robles, California where she works as the Director of Alumni Engagement for the University of San Francisco. Molly is also busy with the travel and trip planning business she started a few years ago. She does custom trip planning for Paso Robles and the Central Coast of California. Check her out at www.destinationpaso.com. As for me, Carrie Runde Paddock, I had a surreal experience at the start of the past school year when I attended fourth grade back to school night. I found myself seated in the same exact classroom, 4A, where I began my time at Friends so many years ago. I can report that the fourth graders still study Egypt and Greek Myths. My youngest, Graham, completed his first year at Friends and it has been fun connecting with the many Friends alumni parents.

From left: Dr. Megan Richie ’02 & UCSF fellows at a recent division dinner; Christina Forsting Taler ’05, Jordan Taler ’03 and their son at her graduation from the University of Baltimore School of Law

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Camille Foster camille.powe@gmail.com

Christopher Wright cswright@gmail.com Becca Fogel Erwin and Carter Erwin ’03 live outside of Boston with their three kids, Auden (15), Deegan (13), and Granger (8).

Becca left her career as a school-based occupational therapist of nearly 10 years to open her own neurodiversity-affirming, multidisciplinary pediatric therapy clinic in 2022. The Lark Center (in Norwood, Mass.) is currently thriving, with two buildings, 13 staff, and serving over 180 clients weekly. Becca has been a guest on several podcasts, written articles for several magazines, and provided trainings for numerous organizations all about neurodiversity-affirming care and ethical best practices in therapy. Carter is thriving in his career as principal developer for The Mathworks (“makers of Matlab and Simulink”) and the kids are showing evident aptitudes consistent with those of their parents. Auden: physical sciences, engineering, and wrestling. Deegan: life sciences, animal care, and human services. Granger: a love of the performing arts and all things dramatic. Life is hectic, fun, and ever evolving. When possible, the Erwins drive to Baltimore during the Winter and/or Summer holiday, so reach out if you will be in town then as well! Megan Richie continues to work as a neurologist at UCSF and in July started as the chief of the neurohospitalist division, a position that excites and terrifies her. Her sons Galen (7) and Emil (5) will need to adjust to having her get called on nights and weekends even more often than before!

Chris Wright and his wife Samantha celebrated his 40th birthday abroad with a trip to New Zealand and Australia.

They landed in Auckland on the North Island and spent more than two weeks sightseeing including bird and whale watching making their way to the South Island before setting off for Australia.

In Australia they spent two weeks and attended the Australian Open (pictured), hiked around Uluru, and visited Sydney where Chris studied abroad during university. Was a great and memorable trip for a milestone birthday!

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Secretary needed! To volunteer, email alumni@friendsbalt.org

Dylan Waugh recently published Thaddeus Stevens: Forgotten Champion of Racial Equality, a nonfiction book for readers ages 9–12. It explores the remarkable life of Thaddeus Stevens, a Civil War–era congressman who fought tirelessly to end slavery and secure equal rights for Black Americans. Dylan hopes to inspire young readers with Stevens’ enduring principles of equality, integrity, and personal growth.

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Christina Forsting Taler christina.forsting@gmail.com

Casey Royer married her partner, Margi Whitmore, in a Quaker ceremony on October 19, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia.

It was a fabulous event, which featured a choreographed tap routine for their first dance, an original song about opossums performed by Casey’s uncle and cousin, and someone crashing the reception in an opossum onesie. (Casey really likes opossums.) There was also an actual live opossum present when Margi proposed to Casey in March of 2023. Casey and Margi live in Richmond with their dogs, Benji and Kora. Christina Forsting Taler is delighted to share that she has earned her Doctor of Law (J.D.) from the University of Baltimore School

Above: Casey Royer ’05 and her partner Margi Whitmore celebrated their wedding surrounded by friends and family (Photos by Kimie James Photography) of Law. She completed the program parttime while working full-time—balancing law school, a career, motherhood, and life—making this achievement especially meaningful. Christina extends heartfelt thanks to her husband, Jordan Taler ’03, for his steadfast support and infinite patience, as well as to her professors, classmates, friends, and colleagues for their encouragement along the way. She is now deep in bar exam preparation, powered by caffeine, flashcards, and a steadily increasing sense of urgency.

Christina is profoundly grateful to everyone who helped her reach this milestone.

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From left: Laura Shingleton ’07 and her husband welcomed their son Lukas into the family in March 2025; LeShea Dixon ’12 adopted a two-year-old tailless cat named Paxil; Nurisha Rodriguez ’12 and fiancée Anthony welcomed Anthony Williams Jr. into the world on May 16, 2025

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Lauren Marks lmarks617@gmail.com

Hello Class of 2007! Lauren Marks here. You all were fairly quiet this year, but I was glad to hear from Laura Shingleton who says “We welcomed our son Lukas in March! Also my parents moved from their home in Roland Park to Martha’s Vineyard and will be snowbirding and grandparenting for the cooler months with us in Los Angeles :)” Congratulations Laura! In October 2024, Roz Kreizenbeck, Anne Laterra and I walked for six days on the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain. It was a beautiful experience to share together and I know we felt grateful for so much time to spend chatting, walking and being outside. This summer, Holly Heller-Schwartz, Yasmin Hormozi, Chiara Olivi, Laura Green Kendal, Anne Laterra, Roz Kreizenbeck and I will spend a long weekend at my and Charlie Totten’s ’04 recently built house on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We are hoping the weekend will be very Maryland- full of sun, swim and fun!

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Declan Meagher kerb501@yahoo.com

As the Class of 2012 passes over their golden (12th) year as alumni, there have been so many milestones and achievements to celebrate. Since graduating, Autumn Walker has been crafting a career in therapy and soul coaching. Currently, she offers a coaching program providing a therapeutic framework to help her clients remain goal-oriented, overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome. Leading by example, Autumn is tackling her own bold goals by offering her first Masterclass this June specifically aimed at helping women stay consistent and committed

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to their goals, ideas, and visions, helping them to flourish holistically in their lives and careers. Sydnee Lasky continues to flourish in her career in real estate, a top producer in Maryland, working with Cummings and Co. Realtors. She’s been lucky enough to help many Friends families find homes and loves working in Baltimore, especially in the Roland Park area for Friends alumni. She’s looks forward to helping more Friends in the future who want to stay close to the community. A little further away from the Roland Park bubble, Ben Lewin and his new wife have just closed on a house in the Greater Boston Area. Ben Lewin married Molly (née Gavens) in November 2024 in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by family, friends, and Friends including best man: Declan Meagher. Declan was also married in 2024. He and his wife, Sara (née Murray), were married in Kelowna, B.C. (Canadian Wine Country) and were also joined by a contingent of Friends alumni. After the wedding, Declan and Sara returned to Disney Cruise Line’s Toronto Rehearsal Studio where they both worked as entertainment leaders – Declan worked as a Shipwide Show Director for the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, helping to develop the future of interactive and immersive theater for cruise audiences. Making waves in the education space, Alice Walker Veytia was recently promoted to Special Education Lead at Fusion Academy. Her work includes supporting special-ed students in middle and high school. A promotion along with her fifth wedding anniversary spells big things for Alice this year. Katya Spitznagel is also experiencing big things this year, like tigers and other zoo animals. Katya is finally realizing her dream of becoming a veterinarian and beginning her residency at Colorado State University. She deals

largely with exotic and zoo animals and will become a boarded veterinary anesthesiologist by 2027. 2027 will be a big year for Katya as well, because that’s the year she and Torin Grosso, her partner of 12 years, will aim to be married.

Until then, Katya will revel in being engaged while she continues to look after animals of all sizes. LeShea Dixon is now looking after a small animal with the adoption of Paxil, a lovely, two-year-old, tailless house cat. LeShea rescued Paxil from a shelter in Georgia and he is now the love of her life. She hopes to adopt a fur-sibling for Paxil in the near future as a way to further expand her circle of furry friends. Nurisha Rodriguez has recently expanded her family as well. Nurisha and her fiancé, Anthony, welcomed Anthony Williams Jr. into the world on May 16, 2025. Nurisha and her two Anthonys live in Atlanta and as an electrical engineer with GE Vernova it wouldn’t be far off to say that Nurisha is ec-“static” about being a new mom. Across the country in Los Angeles, Suzannah Samuel has conceived her own electrifying work: her first short film, “Orange Like Me”, which she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. Suzannah’s absurdist-horror short was accepted by four film festivals and received the following awards: Best Original Idea at the Assurdo Film Festival in Milan, Italy; Best Avant-Garde Short at the Planet 9 Film Festival; Outstanding Acting Performance and Outstanding Screen Story at Zed Fest; The Midsummer Scream Film Festival’s Official Selection; and a Quarter Finalist Award from Lil Spooky Fest. These are just a few of the incredible accomplishments of the Class of 2012 in their golden post-grad year. We look forward to how they will glimmer and grow in the years to come.

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Chrissie Baker Roethle chrissiebaker8603@yahoo.com

Taylor Roethle and Chrissie Baker Roethle welcomed baby boy Brooks into the world in October 2024. Matt Potter and his wife Sam now live in Orlando with their new baby Ellie and their two Berners, Ryuu and Willow. Matt works with the volunteers for a Habitat for Humanity affiliate while Sam is a PM for Disney’s renovations department. Nico Binford lives in the Marina in San Francisco, and started a new job at Zoox testing their selfdriving cars while also working on his own cybersecurity blog on the side - keeping those Friends School writing skills sharp!

Friends from Class of 2013 celebrated Tucker Glotzbach’s wedding in Charleston in May 2025. Tucker now lives in Alexandria, Va. with his dog and wife.

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Amelia Merrill amelia7merrill@gmail.com

Lindsey Sellman Radtke married Nick Radtke on May 31, 2025 in Sarasota, Florida. Their dog, Jack, participated in the wedding festivities. Amy Lieber married Reuben Siegman in Washington, D.C. last spring. The couple met while working with the organization Avodah in D.C. Sarah Miller Abramowitz graduated from the New York University College of Dentistry.

She recently began a one-year residency program at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Meg Conner Mossman and Ben Mossman married in October 2024 in Baltimore. The wedding party included Maxine Sachar, Eddie Van Dyke, Ezra Thompson, and Ethan Greene. Ben and the groomsmen walked down the aisle to “Simple Gifts,” while the bridesmaids walked to “Wild Mountain Thyme.” The ceremony also included an abbreviated Meeting for Worship. Santiago Loane is currently pursuing a Ph.D in theoretical physics and machine learning at the University of Illinois. In 2024, he received his M.S. in physics from Brown University. Willem Beeson married Mary Sweeney in the summer of 2024. They live in Pennsylvania, where they met in 2017. Willem received his M.S. in computer science from Drexel University in 2025. Lily Anna Segalman married Tom Fellona in Newport, Rhode Island in September. Lily Anna works as legislative analyst for the Anne Arundel

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1. Katya Spitznagel ’12 works with exotic and zoo animals as a veterninary resident; 2. Declan Meagher ’12 and Sara Meagher celebrated their marriage with family and friends in 2024; 3. Class of 2013 Connor Finn, Jake Bass, Taylor Roethle, Ben Chase, Dan Warren, Spencer Brock, David Bruder, Cedric Charlier, Will Davis, and James Spevak celebrated the marriage of Tucker Glotzbach ’13 and Taylor Anspach Glotzbach; 4. Taylor Roethle ’13 and Chrissie Baker Roethle ’13 welcomed baby boy Brooks to their family in October 2024; 5. Matt Potter ’13 and wife Sam welcomed Ellie to their family in 2025; 6. Alice Wiedefeld ’17, Courtney Booker ’14, Eddie Van Dyke ’14, Ezra Thompson ’14, Ethan Greene ’14, Maxine Sachar ’14, Max Innis ’14, Gabe Watson ’14, Boni Salmerón ’14, Clare Conner ’10, Griffin Bonner ’14, Rose Woolson ’14, Evan Elkin ’14, and Winslow Yost ’17 at the wedding of Meg Conner Mossman ’14 and Ben Mossman ’14.

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County government. Ryan Frank married Annie Thrasher in Frederick in November.

The couple kicked off their wedding weekend with a Halloween party. Hannah Noyes got engaged to Emmet Gaffney last summer. The couple celebrated their engagement in Paris.

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Secretary needed! To volunteer, email alumni@friendsbalt.org

In May of 2023 Nina Dietz graduated with a master’s in investigative journalism from Columbia Journalism School. For the last two years, she has been working as an investigative environmental journalist. She is currently working on a series supported by the Pulitzer Center about the aftermath of the L.A. fires. She is still a photographer, and her camera still accompanies her on every reporting assignment. Since photography is now work, her artistic endeavors (which she considers necessary for her sanity) have shifted to textile and fiber art. She spends much of her time on the road covering climate change and the environment, but Baltimore is her home base. You can find her most recent work at Inside Climate News. She has read over 1000 books in the last five years, and yes, she still runs into walls when walking and reading at the same time. As always, you can still find Nina haunting the nearest library, where she continues to embody the answer to, “what would happen if a encyclopedia wished upon a star to be a real girl?”

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Allison Goldbloom allisongoldbloom22@gmail.com

Tyler Rifkin is currently serving as Finance Manager for Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s re-election campaign. She joined Governor Moore’s first campaign team in August 2022, shortly after graduating from Bucknell University.

She’s based in Washington, D.C., and enjoys being part of the fast-paced world of political campaigns and public service. David Gantt just returned from China after completing the Schwarzman Scholars program. He will be attending Harvard University in the fall. Jack Barrett will be playing “Grover” in the Broadway play Stereophonic as the show embarks on its U.S. tour. Teddy Llinas is a third-year med student

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at U.V.A. living in Charlottesville. He is still deciding on a specialty, but is currently interested in neurology and neurosurgery. Lauren Curry moved to Utah from Atlanta, where she trains horses for work. Since Shania Samuel graduated, she had the experience of working with children across the spectrum and decided to complete coursework to become a teacher. She just reached certification this year after teaching for two years. Alex Wienner recently got engaged.

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Henry Griffith hgriffith00@gmail.com

Lily Beckett lives in Boston pursuing a master’s to become a board certified behavior analyst. In pursuit of this, she currently works at a behavioral pediatric clinic. Sophia Llinas is living in London, England pursuing her master’s at University College London. There, she studies infancy & early childhood development with her dissertation focusing on parent-child relationships in children with intellectual disabilities.

But even across the pond, Sophia still reps the scarlet and grey! Ashauna Lee just finished her first year of graduate school at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This summer, she will be interning with the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Innovation’s public safety team to capture, curate, and communicate compelling narratives about the lived experiences of public safety personnel and community members. She’s happy to be living back in Baltimore and close to friends and family! After graduating from Washington and Lee, Mason Marchetti received his master’s at Columbia University in Financial Engineering. Following his studies, he now works at a company focused on online predictive markets, helping to write ML algorithms for trading and arbitrage detection.

BECOME A CLASS SECRETARY TODAY If you are interested in becoming a Class Secretary, please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@friendsbalt.org.

MILESTONES MARRIAGES

BIRTHS

1958 Betsy Bratz and Tom Ratcliffe December 2025

2007 Laura Shingleton and Mark Lukas March 2025

2005 Casey Royer and Margi Whitmore October 2024 2012 Benjamin Lewin and Molly Gavens Lewin November 2024 Alice Walker Veytia and Dan Veytia 2013 Tucker Glotzbach and Taylor Glotzbach May 2025 2014 Willem Beeson and Mary Sweeney LilyAnna Segalman and Tom Fellona September 2024 Meg Conner Mossman and Ben Mossman October 2024

2012 Nurisha Rodriguez and Anthony Williams Anthony Williams, Jr. May 2025 2013 Matt Potter and Sam Potter Ellie Potter 2025 Taylor Roethle and Chrissie Baker Roethle Brooks Roethle October 2024

IN MEMORIAM 1952 Frederick L. Hodous June 2023 Charles R. Ellicott III October 2024

Lindsey Sellman Radtke and Nick Radtke May 2025

1953 Suzanne Hoffberger Gross.

February 2025

Amy Lieber and Reuben Siegman March 2025

Elizabeth Hanauer Brueckmann May 2025

Ryan Frank and Annie Thrasher November 2025

1955 Robin Biddison Dodd December 2024 1956 David H. Whiteford November 2023 Elizabeth Hanauer Brueckmann May 2025 1956 Parks M. Adams, Jr. Robert B. Heaton June 2025 1957 Barbara Witt Brown October 2022

AS OF SEPTEMBER 2025

1958 Abigail Welch Goldman August 2025 Susan Rugemer Kurtz August 2025 1959 Mary Hughes Becker October 2023 Richard M. Price April 2025 1963 Michael J. Keene January 2025 Gretchen Taylor Mayr May 2025 1964 Charles R. Rogers April 2025 1966 Margaret Gardner Swann July 2024 1971 Rudolph J. Redd, Jr. February 2025 1973 Brian G. Kaestner April 2025 1977 Perry Stewart January 2025 1980 Cathy Laupheimer Kahn December 2023 1989 Michelle Johnson Findura December 2024 2022 Char C. Murray July 2025 RETIRED FACULTY Gerritt Blauvelt H'97 April 2025 Roberta Jean Allen March 2025

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PARENTS & CAREGIVERS 2024-2025

A Message from the Friends School Parents Association Opening the 2024-2025 school year was full of the spirit of community and welcoming that we always expect at Friends School of Baltimore. The FSPA joined the school administration in focusing on enriching each family’s sense of belonging at Friends School.

Continuing our long tradition of community building, the FSPA hosted a series of events and community gatherings with the help of our hundreds of dedicated parent/caregiver volunteers and supporters. While the FSPA is not a traditional fundraising organization, we do occasionally end up acquiring funds from our events that we then donate to support the school and FSPA community building efforts.

Yvette Corley, chair, and Rebecca Hall, chair elect.

OTHER FUNDRAISING HIGHLIGHTS • BRAINBOOSTERS: $8,000 paying it forward to support Upper School prom.

• SQUARE 1 ART: $1,500 to provide a free yearbook to all Lower School students.

The 2024 Scarlet & Gray day was a remarkable success.

While the FSPA does not consider Scarlet & Gray Day to be a fundraising event, the FSPA raised over $3,000 from carnival and snack sales. Typically the funds raised are just enough to cover t-shirt and event costs. The extra funds are used to help refurbish games and other supplies the FSPA needs to hold the event each year.

Building community also extends to our amazing faculty and staff. On behalf of all parents/caregivers, the FSPA hosts some events each year to say thank you to the teams that make our beloved Friends School run each day.

Our annual FSPA fundraising event is the Night Out with Friends Gala, which raised $10,000 to donate to the school.

This donation was matched by the FSPA Board with funds from past budget overages, for a $20,000 donation to school development efforts.

• Friendly Fridays: Parent volunteers work together to provide energizing snacks etc. in the lounges.

We look forward to another successful year to come!

Yvette Corley P’34, FSPA Chair 2024-2025 Rebecca Hall, FSPA Chair-Elect 2024-2025

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• Thank You Thursdays: Parent volunteers coordinate to provide breakfast in the staff and faculty lounges.

• Staff Appreciation Luncheon: Once a year, the FSPA hosts a special luncheon to honor and thank the faculty and staff for all they do for our children.

With community building as our central focus, the FSPA Board continued to host meetings (and, where possible, other FSPA activities) both in person and virtually to maximize parent participation. Every Friends parent/caregiver is a member of the FSPA and we are grateful for every type of support they give.

parents association ⊲ SCARLET & GRAY DAY 2024 Cydney and Kevin Carnell '84

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY OF SERVICE 2025 Left: Ali Smith '94, Yvette Corely, Atman Smith '96, and Christian Donovan Below: Student and parent volunteers working together.

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DEVELOPMENT NEWS A M E S S AG E F R O M L E S T E R DAV I S P ’ 2 8 , ’ 2 8 , ’ 3 0

The Board of Trustees Clerk

As I reflect on my final year serving as Clerk of the Board of Trustees, I am filled with deep gratitude and pride for all that our community has accomplished together.

Lester Davis is the parent of three Friends students and Chief of Staff to Governor Wes Moore.

He ends his three-year service as board clerk in June 2025, and will be succeeded by Joel Goldberg P’24, ’33.

During my tenure, the Board has worked thoughtfully and collaboratively to strengthen the school in meaningful, lasting ways. Together, we expanded Little Friends, adding new students to our pipeline and strengthening the path to a Friends education. We renovated the Lower School buildings and playground, creating spaces that better support joyful learning and play. We successfully onboarded a new Head of School, and over the past three years, we have raised more than $10 million to advance our shared mission and ensure the school’s long-term vitality.

While these accomplishments are significant, the greatest reward for me has been more personal. Watching my own children matriculate through Middle School and now into the Upper School has given me a profound appreciation for the student experience we are building—one rooted in care, challenge, and community. It has been an honor to help steward the school during such an important chapter, both as a trustee and as a parent.

As I step away from the role of clerk, I am thrilled to introduce Joel Goldberg, who will be taking on this leadership position. Joel is a parent of an alum and a current student, a part-time soccer coach, and a valued leader emerging from our recent innovation work.

With a background in finance and project development, Joel brings deep experience in building sustainable financial models. He will work closely with Christian and our new CFO, Malcolm Haynes, as we continue to strengthen the school’s financial resources and plan responsibly for the future.

As we look ahead, our work is guided by what we often describe as the “three legs of the stool.” First, we have successfully invested in our physical campus, most notably through the renovation of the Lower School. Second, we are focused on increasing opportunities to reward and support our extraordinary teachers—through professional development, growth opportunities, and meaningful recognition—so they can continue to offer the very best teaching and learning experience. Third, we are committed to growing our financial aid endowment, a clear recommitment to our values. Today, just under half of our students identify as students of color, a remarkable advancement over the past decade. Strengthening our endowment ensures that a Friends education remains accessible and transformative for generations to come.

As we know, the journey matters. The students we invest in today are the leaders of tomorrow, and none of this work is possible without your partnership, generosity, and belief in the Friends School community.

While I am stepping away from the clerkship, I am not leaving the Board. I look forward to continuing to serve, staying connected, and supporting the school in the years ahead.

Thank you for the trust you have placed in me, and for all that you do to make this community so special.

In partnership,

Lester Davis P’28, ’28, ’30 Clerk, Board of Trustees

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development news ⊲ The Fund for Friends O N E H U N D R E D E I G H T E E N R E A S O N S TO G I V E The Fund for Friends is the School’s annual giving program and its top fundraising priority. It provides an immediate and meaningful way to support what matters most—Friends School students and faculty. Great schools are built when exceptional people, dynamic programs, and outstanding facilities come together and flourish. At Friends, this powerful combination is sustained year after year thanks to the generosity of community members who invest in the School through philanthropy. Each gift to The Fund for Friends has a direct and lasting impact, supporting the student experience throughout the academic year.

Centered around the theme “One Hundred Eighteen Reasons to Give”—a tribute to the 118 faculty members in the 2024–2025 school year—the effort resonated strongly across the community. With the support of dedicated volunteers, the annual fund raised more than $1.3 million.

FUND FACTS • Reunion classes with the highest participation: 1975, 1990 & 2000 • 1100 Donors, including 860 parents, grandparents, and parents of alumni donors (approx.)

• Over 280 donors gave $1,000 or more • Over $1,360,000 raised for The Fund for Friends, 60% of the grand total of $2.3 million raised for the School • Parents led the way with the highest participation rate, and an average gift of $1,600

THE SENIOR FAMILY GIFT COMMITTEE

Class of 2025 Senior Family Gift Project Since 1989, the Senior Family Gift Project has been a meaningful tradition at Friends School—an opportunity for graduating families to leave a lasting mark while celebrating the journey they have shared together. Each year, this collective act of generosity reflects the values of community, stewardship, and gratitude that define a Friends education.

The Class of 2025 parents/caregivers and students embraced this legacy by coming together to fund a wayfinding sculpture, a project that will inspire reflection and connection for years to come. The wayfinding fox sculpture is the first of its kind, further advancing the Campus Plan. Designed and sculpted by Friends alum Bart Walter ’76, the larger-than-life fox statue symbolically honors the Quaker values introduced by George Fox, while evoking a spirit of curiosity, sensitivity, intuition, and purpose. Our first wayfinding statue begins a new tradition and helps enhance our campus environment by fostering a sense of play, creativity, stewardship, and community. A plaque commemorating the Class of 2025 and its fundraising effort accompanies the installation.

Setting an ambitious goal of $2,500, the students exceeded expectations, raising more than $2,600 through student-led efforts. Their creativity and commitment were on full display through favorite fundraising traditions like Pepe’s and Chipotle Days, as well as new initiatives including a trivia night and a special senior trip to Hersheypark. In November 2025, students and families returned to campus to unveil the sculpture—an enduring symbol of their time at Friends and their shared impact on the community. We can all look forward to celebrating and capturing milestone moments and student memories while gathered around this beautiful work of art for years to come! ■

PARENT/CAREGIVER COMMITTEE: Anne Mickle & John Watt, Co-Chairs; Clemmie Miller & Lyle Kissack, Co-Chairs; Ashley Principe & Frank Principe, Co-Chairs; Penny Allen, Annick Barker '87 & Jeff Tompkins, Nora Bucke, Mark Finn & Mary Finn, Allan House & Amy House, Murad Ibrahim & Timaj Abdella, Addison Palmer & Amy Bonitz Palmer, Daniel Pangaribuan & Imbie Tamba, Quentin Scott, Sr. & Rhonda Scott, Felicity Turner & Bradley Turner, Myresha Williams STUDENT COMMITTEE: Khadejah A., Koko B., Laya B., Victoria C., Isabel C., Mason C., Alexandra D., Connor H., Ejaz I., Noah J., Yipeng L., Chloe L., Rosa M., Lulu M., Adam N., Sam P., Isabelle R., Henry T.

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Friends School advanced its multi-year Lower School transformation with the new Lower School playground.

Lower School Playground At Friends, we know that play is far more than a break from learning; it is an integral part of the learning process.

Through hands-on exploration and joyful interactions with peers, children engage their bodies and minds in a way that fosters growth and development. The newly reimagined Lower School playground is designed to spark imagination and curiosity and offer a wide range of experiences appropriate for the social, physical, and cognitive needs of our youngest students.

A heartfelt thank you to Kay McConnell H’22, P’02, ’05, ’10, Stony Run, the Friends School Board of Trustees, and the Playground Committee for bringing this exciting new space to life. Here’s to many wonderful years of fun ahead! ■

In Gratitude, In Practice: The Teacher Appreciation Fund Teachers are our greatest asset. In today’s world, they spend as much time with our students as anyone, guiding them not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. As we look to the future of the school, our campaign priorities include a deepened investment in faculty, supporting professional development, recognizing excellence beyond annual compensation, and creating the conditions for meaningful, sustainable work-life balance.

The Teacher Appreciation Fund was created to do just that: to recognize teachers above and beyond existing forms of appreciation led by the Friends Parents Association and the Board of Trustees. With more than 200 employees across the school, the fund allows for flexible, thoughtful expressions of gratitude that reinforce how deeply we value the individuals who walk our halls, coach our teams, and mentor our students each day.

Top: Ari McCown, Middle School science teacher, Laura Sabatino, Lower School Librarian, Bianca Washington '15, Assistant Director of DEI, and Nicolette Matsangos, Middle School Librarian.

Bottom: Tony Foreman P'32, '35 and Christian Donovan, Head of School.

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One extraordinary example of this spirit came from current parent Tony Foreman.

Tony helped set a new benchmark for recognizing teachers by making a generous donation to the fund, as well as hosting faculty, staff, and coaches for a back-to-school gathering at Johnny’s of Roland Park. His leadership coincided with contributions from many current families, particularly at the start of the school year, creating a powerful moment of collective appreciation.

While the impact of this effort is not measured by dollars alone, its influence has been lasting. Tony’s demonstration created a ripple effect, offering the community an opportunity to bear witness to gratitude in action. The Teacher Appreciation Fund is used to provide daily, tangible reminders, so teachers and coaches are continually reminded of how valued they are. ■

development news ⊲ 1941–2025

Gary Blauvelt, Beloved Teacher and Mentor Gary Blauvelt was never just an English teacher.

For more than four decades, he was a guide, provocateur, poet, and—above all—a friend to generations of Friends School of Baltimore students and colleagues. His passing in April 2025 leaves behind not only a legacy of profound intellect and literary passion, but also a deep well of warmth and humanity that shaped the lives of all who knew him.

Mr. Blauvelt, Gary to those who knew him beyond the classroom, taught at Friends from 1963 until his retirement in 2004. In those 41 years, he built a classroom where literature felt alive; where the words of Dickinson and Eliot were not relics, but roadmaps. He challenged students to read deeply, think honestly, and express themselves with courage.

Mr. Blauvelt’s influence extended far beyond his lesson plans. “He was a consummate professional who held the highest standards, and a teacher beloved by all,” recalled Peter Gilmore, who served as Upper School Principal during Gary’s final years at Friends. “Amongst the faculty he was a quiet leader who garnered the utmost respect…a wonderful human being who will be fondly remembered by all who had the good fortune to learn from him.” Students and faculty alike sought his counsel, which he offered with the same thoughtfulness and grace that marked his teaching.

Maggy Young ’72 remembers lunchtime laughter and lighthearted moments in the hallways: “One of Gary’s many superior talents was that he was able to click his heels. It was a very impressive leap from the ground, and, of course, we all tried to emulate him. Unfortunately for us, he always outdid all of our efforts.” She recalls the music he loved and the joy he radiated when sharing it, “snapping his fingers, tapping his foot, and smiling blissfully when he put on a record, tape or CD…He was a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration.”

In 1997, Friends School honored Mr. Blauvelt with the Honorary Alumni Award, a formal recognition of what so many already knew: his teaching was transformative. While Forbush Room 249 bears his name, dedicated to Mr. Blauvelt at the time of his retirement in 2004, his truest legacy lives in the memories and minds of those he nurtured and inspired.

Even in retirement, Mr. Blauvelt remained a teacher at heart. At Roland Park Place, where he spent his final years, he led poetry discussions that echoed the spirit of his classroom. Throughout his whole life, he brought people together around literature, meaning, and shared humanity.

Mr. Blauvelt’s legacy extends far beyond his lifetime of involvement with the school. By making a planned gift, he demonstrated a profound commitment to Friends School’s future—an act of generosity that will sustain opportunity, learning, and community for years to come.

“Easily the most influential teacher in my life.”

– Holter Graham ’90 “I had the honor of working with Gary as his Upper School Principal from 2002-2004.

He was a consummate professional who held the highest standards, and a teacher beloved by all. Amongst the faculty he was a quiet leader who garnered the utmost respect. Often I went to him for sage advice in the most difficult of times; which he offered to me in his gentle, yet always helpful, way. Such a wonderful human being who will be fondly remembered by all who had the good fortune to learn from him.” - Peter Gilmore, Upper School Principal (2002-2009) "Throughout our time at Friends, several classmates and I spent part of our lunch time with Gary (aka Blauvie). There was quite a bit of laughter and goofing around.

One of Gary's many superior talents was that he was able to click his heels. It was a very impressive leap from the ground, and, of course, we all tried to emulate him.

Unfortunately for us, he always outdid all of our efforts. But... we could do the Teaberry shuffle just as well as he could. I have maintained a friendship with Gary since my high school days, and one image of him that will always be with me is the way he would snap his fingers, tap his foot, and smile blissfully when he put on a record/ tape/CD for me to listen to. He was a mentor, a friend and an inspiration. I will miss his humor, his smile, his laughter, and the joy he shared with all who knew him.”

- Maggy Young ’72 “Thanks to this professor’s wit, wisdom, and warmth, my children loved their time [at Friends School] with him, and they got into very good colleges, where they achieved much success academically and personally.

His influence continues into their present lives!” - Clarinda Harriss ’56

He is deeply missed, but in every poem read, in every sentence crafted, in every moment a teacher listens more than lectures—Mr. Blauvelt’s legacy endures.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can make an impact with a planned gift, contact Ashley Principe at 410-649-3268 or aprincipe@friendsbalt.org. ■

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rly in Januar y me one mor ning ea ca ge sa es m ail m The voice if we had any was calling to see m alu an of fe wi d 2025. The e at Fr iends. He ha sband from his tim ed rn lea I , pict ures of her hu ch y resear , and as I began m ars, graduated in 1952 Fr iends for two ye at en had only be an m g un ing yo rd is co th Ac at s. th r campu school career on ou gh hi s hi g d in an et , pl m m co never left hi riences at Fr iends to his wife, his expe ct on the lasting re cont inued to fle he e, lif s hi ut ho throug a Quaker school. impact of at tending Friends, these sees the archives at er ov ly nt rre cu o wh to dig deep into As someone ish the opportunity rel I . for e liv I s nt and are the mome of teachers, alumni, learning the stories rsonal pe e’s on me the School’s histor y, Unearthing so . ity un mm co e th of former members deeply rewarding. a moment in time is ing ur pt ca or e tiv narra ured et, I have also treas ars on Charles Stre Ye 0 10 te ra g leb kin ce As we hool’s history—po erse myself in the Sc the chance to imm es of the campus, g out or iginal imag kin see s, ive ch ar e through th erected, and rious buildings were va at th tes da e th e a scavenger ident ifying ts. It’s very much lik en ev al ric sto hi t an n. noting signific e School’s evolutio ces that represent th hole.) it bb ra al hunt, seeking out pie veritable historic a wn do t los t ge l (One can happily d impact of a schoo me of the power an ds in m re e. or or m av lti de Ba en This ds School of rich history as Fr ien d an g lon a ch su with era, photographs, chock-full of ephem e ar s ive ch ar s ol’ ch represents The Scho tiles, and the like. Ea tex es, ut in m s tee us Board of Tr the School’s past. As le and a reminder of there will be a piece of the puzz ndred years, I hope hu xt ne e th to rd bers of the we look for wa , and curious mem sts ivi ch ar , ns ria sto and other amateur hi chives to celebrate joy exploring the ar en o wh ity un rs. m ea m co m our foreb d to learn lessons fro honor our past—an ologies and Libraries tor of Academic Techn ROBINSON, Direc JENNIFER

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looking back ⊲ “Friends” designed and sculpted

by Bart Walter '76. Dedicated on the occasion of Dr. W. Byron Forbush II '47's retirement in 1999.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

5114 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21210-2096

fastforward ⊲ Fox Wayfinding Sculpture, designed and sculpted

by Bart Walter ’76.

Funded by the Class of 2025 Senior Family Gift Project.

PAID

Baltimore, MD Permit No. 4453