Among Friends: Winter 2022

among friends a biannual publication for the san francisco friends school community

winter 2022

beauty & simplicity: the quaker process

for the love of the game: an introduction to tchoukball

getting to know incoming head of school pankti sevak 20 years of friendship: teachers and artists jon burnett & caren andrews friends forever: evie hidysmith ‘13 on coming home during a pandemic

“I have found that these three simple tactics [—opening with a moment of silence, decision-making via consensus, and acknowledging that revelation is continuous—] do yield more focused meetings, where all participants are more engaged, feel valued, and are comfortable admitting uncertainty. Today we may call it mindfulness, team building, and leadership vulnerability. Seems to me the Quakers had it all figured out even without iPhones, business coaches, or corporate retreats. Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to see.”

– Molly Kuehn Watson, Clerk of the Board of Trustees at Delaware Valley Friends School, in the Friends Council on Education blog

among friends: winter 2022

in this issue...

BACK TO THE HEART OF FRIENDS

dear friends: a letter from our head of school

page 2

connections: what do you love most about living in the bay area? page 4 for the love of the game page 6 beauty & simplicity: a closer look at the quaker process

page 8

getting to know pankti: our 8th-graders take on an important interview

page 11

friends forever: five questions for evie hidysmith ‘13

page 14

a 20-year friendship: caren and jon of the arts team

page 16

class notes

page 18

photo album page 20

page 1

dear friends a letter from our head of school

Dear Friends, The theme of this issue is “Getting Back to the Heart of Friends,” and I couldn’t think of anything that’s been more of a focus, indeed a mission, for our community at Valencia Street this fall. And I think we’ve done just that: we’ve returned

stunned by the weight of backpacks and bags I help unload on the carpool island at drop-off.)

And we have many hopes for the months ahead, hopes that see us welcoming parents, GrandFriends, and dear friends of our SFFS

Though we are hopefully rounding the corner on Omicron, only time and what we learn next about how this pandemic continues to evolve will inform our decisions—but for now I feel grateful that we have had the opportunity to reclaim so much of who we aspire to be at Friends over the past few months—and I

“And we have many hopes for the months ahead, hopes that see us welcoming parents, GrandFriends, and dear friends of our SFFS community back to campus, that see us gathering, in-person, for a next iteration of our beloved Blue Party and Year-End Celebration.”

to our regular classrooms and left our smaller cohorts behind; we’ve gathered for division-wide assemblies and special occasions like Winter Celebration and Probability Day; we’ve restored our magical library and Learning Commons to their previous glory, where eager Friends line up to take out a dozen books at a time (parents, I know how you feel as I find myself among friends: winter 2022

community back to campus, that see us gathering, in-person, for the next iteration of our beloved Blue Party and Year-End Celebration. I also hold high hopes of celebrating Pankti Sevak, our Incoming Head of School, on campus, in a community-wide event that brings together students, faculty, staff, families, alums, trustees, and friends of Friends.

know I, and the rest of us at Valencia Street, are ready for more. thinking sffs,

Mike Hanas Head of School

page 3

connections In each issue of Among Friends, we pose a question to our community, and print as many responses as we can fit!

THIS ISSUE’S QUESTION: What do you love most about living in the Bay Area?

My favorite thing about the Bay Area is the variety. There are so many different types of people here and different types of foods as well… you can never be bored.

– Dezáray Lowery, Class of 2011

I live in the East Bay and having East Bay regional park so close and accessible is amazing. I have two large dogs and the off-leash areas of which there are many save me from crazy dog syndrome in the house!

– Erin Kendrew, 1st Grade Teacher

Besides SFFS? :) It’s a city of mild weather and natural beauty. A city that is rich in arts and culture, with outstanding culinary eats and breathtaking architecture. What’s not to love?

– Ivy Tom, Current & Alumni Parent

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I love the diversity, the weather, the history… Bottom line, now more than ever: I LOVE my San Francisco bubble.

– Aggie Gettys, Current Parent

I can’t possibly pick just one thing that I love most. However, I love taking the ferry to work and enjoying the beautiful Bay view!

– Maureen Ray, 4th Grade Teacher

I love our cozy neighborhood, where lots of mini-festivals have sprung up during COVID-19 to keep neighbors feeling connected. And I love our easy access to beautiful parks and beaches. We are lucky!

– Jenny Johnston, Current Parent

The beauty of the landscape. I feel so lucky to live so close to so much natural beauty here in the Bay Area.

– Tim Floreen, Current Parent

page 5

for the love of the game physical education teacher monty has introduced a new kind of competition to our middle-schoolers.

Tchoukball is definitely a different kind of game. Invented by Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt in the 1970s, the sport combines elements of handball, volleyball, and squash, while focusing on inclusivity and minimizing aggression and physical contact on the court. Teams of seven (comprised of all genders) need to concentrate and work together to move the ball down the court

and bounce it against the trampoline-like “frames” on either end without the opposing team taking possession of the ball. Interceptions are not allowed. For that matter, neither is physical contact of any sort.

It was for just those reasons that Lower School PE Teacher Monty Joyce knew it would be a great fit for Friends when he joined us at 250

among friends: winter 2022 ing 2020

Valencia this past summer.

“I love that it focuses on the positive aspects of team sports: passing, communication, and strategy.

Because the defense is placed on the ball rather than the offensive player, students can focus on helping each other be successful and not have anxiety about participating,” says Monty.

Tchoukball also provides a safe space for kids who might not think of themselves as typical athletes to get in the game, another point that Monty appreciates: “It can be played by a range of abilities and is very accessible and inclusive for all learners. Which is part of my teaching philosophy.”

For Monty, having students participate and feel good about themselves when they leave the gym is key. “My philosophy or goal is to have more student participation and investment in team sports, while also developing their physical literacy. Students should walk away from the gymnasium

“The objective of human physical activities is not to make champions, but to make a contribution to building a harmonious society.”

– Dr. Hermann Brandt

It seems to be a philosophy shared by educators and coaches worldwide, who are increasingly introducing their student-athletes to the benefits of tchoukball, which can improve hand-eye coordination and encourages players to be alert, focused, and team-oriented.

feeling positive about their experience and maybe develop a love of team sports.” If the enthusiasm of the 5th Grade Friends playing tchoukball on a chilly afternoon in December are any indivation, this new part of the physical education curriculum at SFFS seems to be a great step in that direction. •

FAST FACTS ABOUT TCHOUKBALL: •

Invented in 1970 by Swiss biologist Hermann Brandt

•

•

Brandt developed tchoukball to reduce aggression and injuries in sports Now played around the world, from Senegal to Taiwan, and governed by the International Tchoukball Federation (FITB)

•

Teams are comprised of 12 players; only seven may be on the court at one time

•

Tchoukball can be played on either a court or a beach

•

Player positions in tchoukball include shooters, defenders, and centers •

Tchoukball is sometimes referred to as “the sport for all”

page 7

beauty & simplicity: a closer look at the quaker process

by Trustees Rob Lippincott and Rory Eakin, Board Co-Clerk Maureen McAvoy, and SFFS Director of Community Engagement Guybe Slangen

Quakers are known (and sometimes misunderstood) for many things. For example, they are pacifists, they worship in silence but are also vocal activists, and they also make decisions based on consensus as opposed to majority rule. As an independent Quaker school, San Francisco Friends School is built on and governs itself in this Quaker tradition. Quaker tradition informs daily life in our school and how we make decisions as a community.

In this issue of Among Friends, we wanted to share more about the Quaker decision-making process and highlight a few examples of how that decision making process brings our Quaker values to life in meaningful ways.

Quakerism (more formally known as the Religious Society of Friends) is a Protestant, Christian movement that began in England in the 17th Century. In its early days, Quakerism faced opposition and persecution. However, it continued to expand, extending into many parts of the world, especially the

among friends: winter 2022

Americas and most recently in Africa. Today there are estimated to be 300,000 active Quakers around the globe.

gather in silent reflection.

––––––––––

Early Quakers revered simplicity in dress, action, and speech. Now archaic “plain language” included the use of thee, thy and thine in place of you, your and yours. They believed so strongly in equality, they addressed even nobility or royalty in this familiar way—sometimes to their peril, losing a tongue, their freedom, or their very lives. They were also widely viewed as pacifists, rooted in the radical Peace Testimony of 1660, the legal recognition of Conscientious Objector status, and their ongoing lobbying and demonstrations against war and gun violence.

Similar to the Meeting for Worship, Quakerism utilizes a Meeting for Business as a general forum for decision-making, tapping into many Quaker beliefs and practices to reach a shared outcome.

Our school adopts these broader Quaker traditions in our Quaker Testimonies: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship (SPICES). We have also adopted the practice of Meeting for Worship, a weekly opportunity for the community to

Quaker Decision Making Process

Meetings for Business begin with a period of silence, providing a moment for reflection and grounding before issues are raised. “Claiming a moment” provides a pause before individuals start in on their discussion and discernment.

As Quakerism stresses equality, traditional meetings have no positional authority from title or tenure. Central to the process is the belief that “there is that of God in everyone,” (Note: many schools today, including SFFS, use Light or Inner Light here instead of “God”).

Leaders are clerks of meetings, not chairs, and they attempt to guide the collective body toward unity.

A core tenet of this process is that truth stands outside of any one individual and only through the ongoing sharing of and listening to individual perspectives does one get closer to the “correct” path.

Quakers believe in a concept called continuing revelation, a process where truth evolves and emerges over time.

The process of threshing, sharing opinions and seeking to separate the “wheat from the chaff”concerning the issue at hand, helps a deliberative body of individuals find the right path forward to a unified decision. Since no single person holds the “truth,” every person shares their lens into the truth to help the body as a whole discern the most effective course for the collective.

At some point, the clerk looks for a “sense of the meeting” to reach unity. This consensus is not reached by

a vote, nor does it equal unanimous agreement. Importantly, the group as a whole can reach consensus on a decision even while specific individuals have different individual preferences, as long as the individuals concede to the decision-making process of collective discernment.

The meetings conclude with members signaling their support for the collective decision with a verbal “I approve.” This is not a vote. It is an individual affirmation of the final decision reached by the body overall. And this affirmation is an explicit commitment to support that decision.

–––––––––– Implications of the Quaker Decision Making Process The process to reach consensus can be laborious. Without a named leader, the meeting may be engaged in the threshing process for consid-

erable time. The process is designed to hear and value all voices, not to make an expeditious decision.

The goal is to facilitate a durable decision. As Michael Sheeran describes in Beyond Majority Rule: Voteless Decisions in the Religious Society of Friends, the Quaker decision process puts a burden on those participating not only to voice their input, but also to accept the outcome as their own. Participants are asked to voice input, then let their personal opinion go, as the sense of meeting forms. There is no concept of bitter dissent after the decision—“I voted the other way” —since the decision was made in community, after sufficient threshing.

Without the sense of unity, no decision can be made. In practice, this may mean the Meeting is paused to allow a deeper consideration during an extended period of silence. Or it

page 9

THE HEAD SEARCH The Trustees of every independent school have a broad set of responsibilities, paramount among them the selection and retention of an effective Head of School. Hiring in any organization is vitally important—but also inevitably fraught. As with much of the Board’s work, we leaned on our school’s Quaker values and decision-making to ensure a thoughtful and thorough process resulting in a durable decision. To do so, we needed to ensure all voices were heard, leading to selection of the candidate best suited for the next steps in our school’s journey with a strongly unified and collective outcome.

may be that the Meeting adjourns for a time, and the topic is revisited at a later date. As a result, the Quaker decision-making processes will move more slowly than more traditional or hierarchical alternatives. Skilled clerking is vital to helping the community reach a decision point. A recent thought piece from current parent and Trustee, Rory Eakin, summarizes the model in an immediately relevant way for current business practice.

–––––––––– The Quaker Decision-Making Process at SFFS

Clearly reflecting the Quaker process for decision-making was the composition and conduct of the Search Committee led by two respected and experienced trustees, Shabnam Koirala-Azad and Ed Chung and composed of trustees, professional staff, and parents, representing three core constituents of our school community.

From Kindergartners to grown-ups, San Francisco Friends School uses Quaker decision-making throughout the organization, though not exclusively. Many decisions are made by faculty and administrators each week through delegated responsibilities and authorities given to roles throughout the school.

•

The committee conducted interviews, town halls, and a survey to gather input from the community on goals, aspirations, and concerns, and to specify “what we value most about SFFS.” They also developed key queries, questions designed to discern whether a candidate could meet our hopes.

•

After the interviews, the committee met to deliberate, with each member bringing individual perspectives and listening to diverse opinions and concerns, a process also known as “threshing.”

Many of the daily workings of SFFS are conducted or governed through Quaker principles. The Board almost exclusively uses Quaker decision-making for its work, perhaps reflecting the broader mandate and greater remove from daily decision-making—and we do see Quaker decision-making show up regularly throughout the community.

•

•

The committee then invited three finalists to the school to allow for a deeper assessment of their interest, impact, and viability.

After carefully polling the SFFS community; probing references; and further threshing input from our community, the committee arrived at unity on our final choice. Throughout the process we remained grounded in and guided by our Quaker values, ultimately landing on a unified, collective decision.

among friends: winter 2022

Three recent examples include: •

The Head of School Search: The Search Committee, appointed by the Board of Trustees, followed the Quaker Decision-Making process in the selection of our new Head of School (see sidebar for more detail on this process).

•

8th Grade: 8th Grade clerks facilitated a Meeting for Business to determine their grade’s section names. Over

the course of a few weeks, they sifted through dozens of suggestions along with strongly held opinions to land on a final outcome. As one of the 8th Grade clerks, Paxton, shared: “Unity is a very important part of a meeting for business and our schools’ quaker values.

What does unity mean? It’s being united or joined as a whole.

A large part of decision-making at any level at the Friends School is trying to be as close to unity as possible.”

•

Kindergarten: Our Kindergarten teachers lead their students through a Meeting for Business in an effort to figure out how to effectively share classroom materials. The process and results transformed the way students engage with each other.

These three examples, ranging from selecting a new Head of School, the single most important decision made by our Trustees, to a much more immediate, but no less important set of decisions in our Kindergarten and 8th Grade classrooms, highlight the way Quakerism guides our community, complete with a demonstrated comfort with the dynamics and the language of the Quaker decision-making process.

The Quaker decision-making process is not a rigid set of rules to be followed with strict procedure; instead, it is a decision framework always evolving with the community, grounded in equality, trust, and stewardship. As our school grows, we will continue to seek out stability in the unity of purpose and action. •

getting to know pankti Three of our 8th-Graders—Ella Beckstead, Julian Coleman, and Sona Kempner—sat down with Incoming Head of School Pankti Sevak during her December visit to 250 Valencia to talk San Francisco, Quaker values, and everyone’s favorite topic: food.

Sona: I’m Indian, too, and I was wondering how your Indian heritage has influenced your view of the world?

Pankti: That’s a great question.

You know, my parents really had so much pride in being Indian...

So from a very young age, I was taught a lot of different traditions and I was raised speaking Guja-

rati—that’s my first language, not English. And so it’s always been a strong part of my identity and I was lucky as a child to get to spend a lot of time in India. I feel fortunate that a big part of my identity is being raised Hindu and listening to and reading stories about Indian mythology and understanding those stories as parables; they’ve been guideposts for me. I love the

way that those stories helped me to think about what it meant to be a good person from the time I was very little.

Ella: How would you like to see the Friends community grow from where it is right now?

Pankti: One thing I’ve heard a lot about on my last visit is how the page 11

school tackles diversity, equity, and inclusion. And I think there’s an opportunity for the community to dig deeper into those issues. From what I’ve seen, the Friends School is already an inclusive, amazing place that has a lot of open dialogue, but there’s an opportunity to move further along in that, in talking about what it means to belong or... who we represent, who’s not here and why, and what we can do about it. I also feel that one of the most special things about a Quaker education is the value of stewardship and thinking about how your education is in service to the world and that what you learn has meaning that each person has the responsibility to

and people who take their food very seriously. I think of Brooklyn as a very interesting place because it has its own history, it’s changed a lot, and it’s a community unto itself. And that’s how I think of San Francisco—it’s this very unique place, a very interesting intersection of people, most or many of them maybe not from here. I feel like anytime I meet someone here they say, “I’m a transplant, but now I’m here and I don’t ever want to leave.”

I feel that sense of community in both places.

Sona: I remember you talking about celebrating cultures and holidays at Friends Seminary in New York. Will we add a similar pro-

have this big Diwali celebration and Diwali is about light. And then Hanukkah comes along and we talk about light again—and there’s [that connection, and it is so amazing] to watch students understand that even though their backgrounds are different, there are actually so many similarities. I love the way that understanding can form. And I think that especially for people who are not represented in the majority of a population, that holidays are a way for them to be seen and for their voices to be amplified—and that’s a real opportunity.

Sona: What’s a way we could celebrate a holiday like Diwali at Friends?

“I also feel one of the most special things about a Quaker education is the value of stewardship and thinking about how your education is in service to the world and what you learn has meaning that each person has the responsibility to apply somewhere.”

apply somewhere. That’s a value that I was raised with and something I think makes SFFS and any Quaker school really unique. So I’d like to see more ways to amplify that, to really look at ways in which students are impacting the world while they’re at Friends and even after they leave Friends.

Julian: What was your favorite part of New York and how does it compare to San Francisco?

Pankti: I live in Brooklyn, and I think of Brooklyn and San Francisco in a very similar way—a lot of coffee, a lot of books, unique hair, among friends: winter 2022

gram here, and why do you think these celebrations are important to a Quaker education?

Pankti: I do think it’s important and something that is very special.

When I started at Friends Seminary, it wasn’t something that we did. But when students share different cultural holidays and experiences, it’s a way for them to [show how they’re unique]. It’s a very organic way to share parts of your background, who you are, and the traditions you enjoy with others, in community. So I think it’s a very natural way for people to learn about one another. For example, we always

Pankti: I think one of the things that is fun with these traditions [at Friends Seminary] is that they were student-derived. For example, about five or six years ago there was a group of South Asian girls who were all in the same grade who wanted to do something to celebrate Diwali. And I worked with them on what they wanted to do, so they wanted to make a presentation and share some of the foods of Diwali and their parents came in and lined the Meeting House with tea lights so they really took the time to decorate and talk about the ways in which people celebrate.

I think some of those kinds of

On Page 11: Incoming Head Pankti met with 8th-Graders Julian, Sona, and Ella on a sunny December day. Above: Later that afternoon, she joined founding Head of School Cathy Hunter, Academic Dean Tracie Mastronicola, and current Head of School Mike Hanas for lunch.

things happen very organically in Lower School classrooms, but this is something we did division-wide, and everybody had the opportunity to participate in. And it also then became a place where the parents could come in and support and be with their kids on a particular day, so now people dress up on Diwali and a lot Friends bring in bindis and people put bindis on, and it’s very fun. So how would we do it?

I would want it to be generated via student interest, guided by students and what feels meaningful to them.

Because you don’t want to put people on the spot to do it either.

Ella: What’s something you’re excited about that you’ve seen that SFFS already has and that you’d like to build on?

Pankti: One of the things that I really liked when I was walking around was the quotations on the glass windows that each 8th Grade class picks when they graduate. I love that; I would love to see that story told more widely. What are those quotations? How do they come to be? I’d love to [know what the process is]. And I bet that demonstrates in many ways a lot of the things you’ve learned about what it means living in community and also about making decisions together. I think that would be a wonderful story to tell.

Julian: What are your hobbies?

Pankti: My hobbies include cooking, yoga, and running. I don’t do yoga and running the way I would like to right now, I have to

be very honest [laughing]. But I love being outside and one of my favorite places to be is the ocean.

So anytime I have the chance, even though I live in the Northeast and even in the wintertime, I’m happy to go to the ocean and go for a walk. I’m really excited to live near the Pacific Ocean.

Ella: We should tell you, though, that much of the time here, it is COLD. Pankti: Well, I’ll let you in on a secret, then: I do a polar plunge every year.

And there you have it: Pankti Sevak will be adjusting to life in San Francisco—and swimming at Ocean Beach—just fine. •

page 13

friends forever five questions for sffs alumna—and pandemic coordinator—evie hidysmith ‘13

Evie Hidysmith always knew she was going to come back to her beloved San Francisco—she just didn’t expect it to be in the midst of a devastating pandemic. It turns out that this was exactly where she was meant to be, serving in a crucial role at the Urban School (where she graduated from in 2017) and looking for ways she can center equity and promote change in the local independent school landscape.

We were so happy to welcome Evie back to campus this past fall, and she sat down with Alumni Engagement Coordinator Dan Sullivan to talk about her work at the Urban School and her inspiration.

1) Why did you choose to come back to the Bay Area after attending college on the East Coast?

I was never going to stay away from San Francisco. The only reason I left is because I felt like college was the only time I was ever going to leave. I wanted to try it out, but I knew I was going to come back.

I grew up in San Francisco and all of my family is from here. I’m obsessed with the history of the city and I’m fascinated by the way it’s changed as I’ve grown up. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. among friends: winter 2022

––––––––– 2) What drove you to take a job at an independent school?

The answer to that question is complicated. I wrote my college thesis on private schools, wealth, and progressivism. I explored a lot of my own experiences both at Friends and at Urban and interviewed some students and teachers at those schools. I tried to interrogate the experiences of students on financial aid at schools like these because that’s what my situation

was when I was there. It’s almost impossible for an independent school to be completely equitable and so I felt really uncertain about working here, but I also know that if I’m not working here someone else will. Independent schools aren’t going to disappear anytime soon and by working in one, I have an opportunity to make it more equitable and improve it.

–––––––––– 3) What does your role as the pandemic coordinator at the

Urban School entail?

A lot of spreadsheets and emails! I read the guidelines that get issued by the San Francisco and California Departments of Health and think about how to implement that guidance at Urban. A big part of what I do is considering how to balance what keeps our school community the most safe with what allows us to maintain our daily lives and routines. I’m also teaching, tutoring, and generally filling in when someone needs an extra adult. I love being around teenagers and being in a school environment. It brings me so much joy!

–––––––––– 4) What’s next for you after your role as a pandemic coordinator ends?

I’m hoping to get a degree in social

work. I want to work with teenagers, but I don’t know exactly what I want to do. I love working in a school right now, but I also have really complicated feelings about working there. I know that I want to work in a community. Being a one-on-one therapist wouldn’t work for me because the boundaries are too harsh and the time is too limited. I want to be in a community and be able to form relationships.

Friends teaches students to constantly interrogate the world.

Friends encourages children to be curious and constantly investigate the world around them. My teachers were people that loved me and cared for me and knew how to teach me, but weren’t always right.

The relationships that I built with them taught me how to question and understand how things work in the world. •

–––––––––– 5) How did your time at Friends influence how you view the world?

The honest truth is that Friends has influenced me a lot. I’m still really close with a lot of the people who I met when I was here.

Because of our time at Friends, we can talk about the world in a similar way. There is a way that

Do you know an SFFS alum who you think we should profile in our “Friends Forever” column? Please let us know by reaching out to akinney-moe@ sffriendsschool.org. Thank you!

page 15

20 years of friendship visual art teacher caren andrews and drama teacher jon burnett talk about their longtime friendship, professional partnership, and building the sffs arts program from the ground up.

Two decades ago, Caren Andrews remembers that she was first drawn to a small, fledgling school in the Castro because of the way it seemed to mentor its teachers and provide generous opportunities for growth and free thinking.

She would become San Francisco Friends School’s first art teacher— and she’s happily been creating art among friends: winter 2022

with her students first at Diamond Street, and now at 250 Valencia, ever since.

“I appreciate being an artist at a school that encourages us to speak our Inner Light. We aren’t shut down or censored—and that’s [an essential] part of art-making.” She notes that San Francisco Friends

School also supported her when she pursued a Master’s in Arts Integration halfway through her 20-year tenure as an art teacher here.

Caren says she’s come to consider her classroom a “thinking lab,” where students can stretch their creativity and feel a sense of belonging, whether they consider

Opposite page: Longtime Friends and colleagues Caren and Jon in Caren’s art room. This page: students at SFFS enjoy and are supported by a robust Arts Program.

themselves artists or not. She says that her students help her to stay focused: “Young children demand that you are present—you cannot think about what else is going on.”

Originally, longtime SFFS Drama Teacher Jon Burnett planned on joining Friends as a part-time teaching assistant—but he felt a strong connection to the Quaker values espoused by the school due to his family’s own Quaker roots, and he knew he wanted to make the move more permanent. “I came in one day a week at first for two kindergarten classes and extended day—and gradually I began coming in more days and the Drama Program expanded and grew.”

Jon remembers being struck by how “art was respected here and given time and space. Every student learns to stand and deliver and express themselves... Kids appreciate words, story-telling, and the power of stories.... I feel a responsibility

to be sure that this thing represents what the school is about. I try to find stories that make sense for the values of the school and I want to find a balance, too—middle school plays should have some lightness, some humor sometimes, and also tackle weightier themes sometimes.

I want kids to have a good range of experiences in drama.”

“We have a lot of kids who graduate from here who look for the arts in their high school and collegiate experience. Jon notes how inspiring it feels to be with a group of students who have hit a creative groove. “It feels like magic and it snowballs. Kids can transform... they can have an epiphany in drama class.”

Jon explains that sometimes a Middle School class can get a reputation as a raucous group—and often that’s the crew who are simply brimming with creativity and looking for an outlet—and they find a

place to thrive in the arts. “The arts present a wonderful way to keep joy alive and a place for kids to connect.”

Both Jon and Caren mention how appreciative they are of spending so many years at an institution where they are valued as both artists and educators. “Here there’s a sense of the arts being important to this school that I love, important to its mission,” Jon says.

Caren agrees: “[Founding Head of School Cathy Hunter] had a vision and a strong commitment to the Arts Program, and that’s probably part of what fueled both of us staying is feeling valued. We know that this place is built on valuing all forms of learning and expression.”

As we wrap up our talk, Caren smiles as she says: “If were to leave tomorrow, I would leave a better human because of my experiences at Friends.” • page 17

class notes

This page, left: Head of School Mike Hanas, Nick Hoffner ‘16, Juliana Lamm-Perez ‘`7, Stella Malone ‘17, and Qiaoying Chen ‘17 this past August at Valencia Street. Right: Boris Cotom with bags of delicious Cotom Coffee. Opposite page, from top: Sofia Arnest ‘18 has been playing for Head-Royce’s soccer team the past few years, Colly Urdan ‘18, also at Lick, was recently honored for his achievements on and off the basketball court, and Annika Gursky ‘18 and Jamie ‘18 have been playing soccer together—and against Sofia!—throughout high school.

class of 2011: Dezáray Lowery ’11 says: “After I graduated from Gateway in 2015, I was accepted into my first choice, Spelman College. I enjoyed going to an all-Black, all-women’s university, and I attended Spelman for a year and a half before needing to come home for personal reasons.

I took some classes at City College of San Francisco to continue my education as well as started working at SF Friends to give back to the community and enjoy the new generation of young people. I then transferred to San Francisco State University in 2018 and finally graduated college last year December of 2020. I am now using this time to travel and see as much of the world among friends: winter 2022

demic coordinator; you can read more about what Evie is up to on page 14, where she’s featured in our alumni-focused Friends Forever column.

as I can. I just came back from Ghana, where I was for a month, and in about two weeks I am going to Nigeria. I hope to continue traveling and working and then go back to school for my Master’s in School Counseling.”

Patrick Sullivan ’13 continues to make music, and you can check out some of his tunes now on soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ abcd3f.

Stephanie Woodford ’11 sang the Black anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the annual MLB game between the Giants and the A’s (popularly known as The Battle of the Bay) this past June.

Boris Cotom ’15 recently founded Cotom Coffee, which imports beautifully cultivated beans from the farms of Guatemala. You can check out the Cotom Coffee website (https://www.cotomcoffee.com) to learn more and order your own!

–––––––––– class of 2013: Evie Hidysmith ’13 is currently back in San Francisco, working at the Urban School as their pan-

–––––––––– class of 2015:

–––––––––– classes of 2016 & 2017: Nick Hoffner ’16, Juliana Lamm-Perez ’17, Stella Malone

’17, and Qiaoying Chen ’17, stopped by campus in August to sit on a panel for faculty and staff and discuss their time at Friends, the impact their experience here had on them, and what they’re up to now in an event coordinated by Alumni & Donor Engagement Coordinator Dan Sullivan.

–––––––––– class of 2018: Sofia Arnest ’18 is enjoying her senior year at Head-Royce School in Oakland, and wrapped her final year on the varsity soccer team, where she played against fellow SFFS alums and good friends Annika Gursky and Jamie Eu (both also ‘18).

Jamie Eu ’18 spent 2 1/2 months last summer off the grid with NOLS, a nonprofit wilderness school—backpacking, whitewater kayaking, and rock climbing.

Jamie played soccer at Lick, where she and Annika Gursky ‘18 (note below) were co-captains with two other seniors. She also dances in the Lick Dance Ensemble, and is planning to run track in the spring.

Annika Gursky ’18 also went on the NOLS trip to Alaska alongside Jamie, which became a great point of connection for the friends. Throughout high school at Lick, Annika has played soccer and volunteered at the Youth Art Exchange, supporting their annual fundraiser.

Colly Urdan ’18, also now a senior at Lick-Wilmerding, was recently named Boys Basketball “Player of the Year” for the Bay Area Conference West Athletic League (which includes Lick, UHS, MA, Urban, San Domenico, Stuart Hall, and Convent), the first time a boys basketball player from Lick has won the award. The “Player of the Year” award honors skill on the court

AND leadership, sportsmanship, and a positive attitude.

–––––––––– former faculty:

Former SFFS 3rd Grade Teacher Jake Ban is now braving the chilly Midwest chill as the assistant principal of St. Paul Academy and Summit School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after completing his Master’s in Education and the principal internship program in Boston, MA.

Do you have news to share with your fellow SFFS alums?

Please send in a Class Note to Alissa at akinney-moe@ sffriendsschool.org— and thank you!

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photo album

among friends: winter 2022

photos from the past few months at sffs that capture our theme in this issue: back to the heart of friends

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san francisco friends school 250 valencia street san francisco, ca 94103 have any questions or requests regarding among friends magazine? please contact sffs director of communications alissa moe at akinney-moe@sffriendsschool.org.