Winter 2020
20/20 Our Vision: Then and Now
We & Thee Winter 2020
3 Dreaming Big 5 The Dream That Drives Us
6 The Dreams That Built Us 7 Leading By Example
8 A Culturally Responsive Curriculum
18 Better Communicating Our Mission 19 Valuing Our Staff 20 The Power of Restorative Justice 21 Athletics Spotlight
10 Differentiation, Together 12 More Than a Letter or Number 14 An Institute for Teaching and Learning
16 Curiosity and Social Responsibility in a Digital Age
22 CFS Welcomes New Staff Members 23 Alumni News
This year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration saw a return of the Community Drum Ensemble, Led by Upper School Music Teacher Caique Vidal.
We & Thee is published by
Carolina Friends School 4809 Friends School Road Durham, NC 27705 919.383.6602 | www.cfsnc.org
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Karen Cumberbatch, Head of School Katherine Scott, Communications Coordinator Photo credits: Ahmed Selim, Brian Whittier ’79, Carol M. Highsmith, Cat Zachary, Chris Grochowski, Jenni Scoggin, Katherine Scott, Laura Shmania, Sam Brothers ’21, Sara Orphanides, Sunshine Scoville ’90.
This introduction to “The Dream That Drives Us: A strategic vision” is adapted from Head of School Karen Cumberbatch’s strategic vision introduction to the community on January 9, 2020.
I can vividly picture my first presentation to the Carolina Friends School community, when I was interviewing for the role of Head of School. One particularly memorable moment was when a Middle School student asked me a question she had explored in her social studies class - if you could change what the Statue of Liberty holds in her hands, what would you change?
Dreaming Big That night, I was immediately struck by the fact that she not only attended an event that was not likely to be fun or entertaining for your average 11 year old but also felt empowered to stand up in front of a room full of adults to ask her question clearly and articulately. Based on her question, it was clear that what she did in her classes was dynamic, encouraged reflection, and incited real intellectual engagement. I left my visit impressed with the way Carolina Friends School was growing phenomenal young leaders and thinkers. Here in my third year, I see examples of this manifested every day in our classrooms, and my optimism about the future for our school continues to grow. We are in a great place — we have an amazing student body, highly committed families, an extraordinary, talented staff, and a visionary board. I’m so excited that we are working toward “The Dream That Drives Us,” a strategic vision for our school that will not only serve our students today, but will secure the future of CFS for generations to We & Thee | Winter 2020
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come. This vision reimagines our fundamental and enduring principles to realize a future where what we do here will impact not only our students and community, but literally the world. Yes, friends — we are dreaming big! The concept of a dream that drives us is in our DNA; it connects our past, present, and future. While our founders have consistently said they did not set out to create the School we now have, their vision was a grand one, nevertheless. By refusing to send their children to the segregated schools of Durham and instead choosing to create a school grounded in the equal and ethical treatment of all students regardless of race or identity, our founders were dreaming big. By placing the highest priorities on understanding and responding to the needs and desires of students, by authentically and unapologetically putting the children at the center of every aspect of the school, they were dreaming big. By using Quaker principles as a foundation for meaningful education and the creation of a just, loving, and purposeful community, they were dreaming big. By founding a school where the central question consistently asked was “are we serving a useful and beneficial purpose in society?” they were dreaming big. 4
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And make no mistake it was not easy. There were hostile neighbors, shots fired into the Lower School, and financial uncertainty. One founder, Peter Klopfer, engaged in and ultimately won a 1967 Supreme Court case that helped set precedent for the application of equal rights at the level of the individual states. There was the court fight in the 1980s to defend Carolina Friends School from state-mandated standardized testing — a battle we won. It was not an easy path, but CFS has never been guided by the path of least resistance. Our goal has always been to do what is right and best for children, educators, schools, and society. “The Dream That Drives Us” is the vision that will drive us toward our big dreams for more fully embracing Carolina Friends School’s potential to change the world. To achieve this, it is going to take collective effort and community support. I know that energy will come from what is fundamental to our dreams — our children. We exist only to fulfill our desire to serve their needs. If love is their super power, then our love for them empowers us to strive for the highest heights of excellence to achieve our mission. They deserve nothing less.
the DREAM that DRIVES
us
A Beacon of Inclusion and Equity Action items: • Develop a set of specific, achievable goals in recruitment and retention of staff and students of diverse backgrounds • Support and fund additional professional development in equity education • Increase staffing to support diversity, equity, and inclusion work • Increase endowment support for our adjusted tuition program
• Create plans for enhanced revenue streams • Build community connections and partnerships to increase visibility and provide opportunity for revenue generation
A Learning Environment for the Students of the Future, Now Action items: • Engage in a self-study with Upper School staff, supported by research on effective learning spaces • Develop a new campus master plan and assess demand
• Complete a compensation study • Expand student support resources in technology, learning needs, and counseling
A Global Resource and Exemplar for Child-Centered Education Action items: • Enhance staff support for existing Extended Learning, Peaceful Schools NC, and professional development programs • Research and explore existing models for teaching and learning centers
• Create a business and communications plan and launch a timeline for an institute for teaching and learning
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The Dreams That Built Us Reflections from some of our founding voices
The time was 1962 and we were in the midst of the disturbances, sometimes violent, of the Civil Rights movement...We shared our dreams of a Quaker school where we could seek and welcome children of every race and economic background, since we believed that all are one. — MILDRED RINGWALT, Co-Founder
— PETER KLOPFER, Co-Founder, Trustee
The philosophy and the purpose of the committee for a school seemed so ideal, so important, so needed... The original commitment to educate, to understand, to nourish, and to respect each individual child, in keeping with the Quaker sense of the uniqueness and infinite worth of the individual, permeated all our curriculum plans and our relationships with each student.This philosophy has remained strong in all phases of the development of the School and of the development of the students attending. — MARGARET MCCALLISTER, Founding Teacher
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Balmy climate or not, the cold rains of Cambridge [England] seemed infinitely preferable to having our children infected by the virus of racial stereotyping — even if skin color was overlooked. The only alternative seemed to be founding a community here which would not perpetuate racial myths and segregation...The formation of a school open to children of all races and founded on Friends’ principles, it was quickly agreed [by a group of Chapel Hill and Durham Friends], would be the most useful step we could take. We took it, and it was.
We chose as a contractor for our first building one of the biggest and most experienced companies in Durham. They knew how a school should be built. I still remember the builder’s total perplexity when we told him we didn’t want bells. How could we possibly run a school without bells? — MARTHA KLOPFER, Co-Founder, Trustee
Leading by Example Our students are fighting for environmental justice In September, students in our Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools joined in the global #ClimateStrike. Inspired in part by the advocacy of Greta Thunberg and supported by CFS staff, groups of interested
students traveled to Chapel Hill and Raleigh to join others in voicing their concerns about the future of the environment and the need for climate justice reforms.
Upper School sophomore Laura McDow was able to meet Greta Thunberg in Charlotte, and wrote an editorial of her experience and the need for urgent action for the Raleigh News & Observer. The Middle School’s Eco Chicos activist club, in consultation with the staff Sustainability Committee, also drafted a proposal to School administration to declare a “climate emergency” and commit budgetary and program resources to measures to reduce our carbon emissions.
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A Culturally Responsive Curriculum Examining our teaching and learning through equity Increasing our community’s cultural, racial, and socio-economic diversity can only be fully realized in two ways: by clearly communicating the power of our teaching and learning to attract families and staff of diverse backgrounds, and by making institutional commitments to ensure that we are providing a truly inclusive environment for them. Creating this kind of community requires an examination of practices and policies through many lenses: our culture and environment, the way in which we measure success, and the content and methods of instruction. It also requires providing staff with the support to identify and help overcome their own biases. We recently had the opportunity to engage as a staff in shared reflection and action on these issues through a self-study of three key areas: curricular progression; cultural responsiveness; and expression of our Quaker values. For this process, teachers first documented the knowledge, understanding, and demonstration of ideas and facts each student was expected to acquire, for each class. This enabled them to come
together to examine where variation in student expectations may occur, both from classroom to classroom and in transitions into our Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. Establishing commonly understood standards in this way is a key method to insure that students are receiving an equitable education. Being able to establish clear progressions of skills and understandings in developmental stages can also help them identify ways to challenge themselves and provide clarity around access to different academic choices. Our Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Naa Norley Adom, led the staff in exercises to examine our own identities and biases and how those affect their teaching and interactions with community members. Teachers also met in small groups to share examples of intentional inclusion of diverse perspectives in the curriculum and culturally responsive tactics. Together they examined places where cultural, racial, or religious identities may not be affirmed. This could be due to lack of representation, or due to presentations that focus exclusively on the struggles of marginalized identities.
The National Association of Independent Schools’ annual People of Color Conference is an important event in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations at schools across the country. In recent years, we’ve increased our staff representation across units as well as the number of students able to participate. Some of our staff have also led sessions for other educators and administrators. 8
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Exploring Indigenous Culture “Our teachers have a lot of flexibility in their curriculum to respond to current events in a way aligned with our focus on social justice. Recently a Durham Early School and a Lower School teacher were able to incorporate discussions on the public housing crisis at Durham’s McDougald Terrace, connected to ideas of children’s rights and environmental justice.” — Naa Norley Adom Lower School’s Sky class visited an exhibit of contemporary art by indigenous North Americans this fall at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art, examining ways in which native cultures are both evolving and rooted in their histories.
This examination was led by a committee representing each teaching and administrative unit, and was conducted as part of our re-accreditation process with the Southern Association of Independent Schools. The areas of focus were identified through polling all staff, and the work occurred in shared professional development time beginning in spring 2018 and concluding in fall 2019. The School also partnered with the organization Villages of Wisdom on a Culturally Affirming Climate Survey, administered to Middle School third and fourth years and all Upper School students. The survey asked questions specific to racial and ethnic identity affirmation. These efforts together have built a firm foundation for our next steps. Next year, our plan is to have a part-time Diversity Coordinator in each unit to provide support and resources to staff. Over the summer, the individuals identified for these positions will receive training through the Diversity Practitioners Institute. In their new roles, they will support teachers and students. They will lead staff in professional development on techniques and teaching tools, support students in identifying and forming affinity and ally groups, and advance institutional visibility at area cultural festivals and events. — Katherine Scott
The Middle School’s second year social studies curriculum, Mythic Worlds, has created an intentional focus on indigenous people of our area. At the North Carolina Museum of History’s American Indian Heritage Celebration, students were able to talk to members of the eight state-recognized tribes as well as learn how archeologists search for clues to peoples and ways of life lost to our history.
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Differentiation, Together Teaching tools for inspiring our students’ learning For decades, good educators have known that each of us learns and processes new information in a different way. Advances in fields such as neuroscience, psychology, and education have led to the development of new teaching approaches and techniques aimed at addressing those differences. Among the many approaches our teaching staff have explored through professional development is one called differentiation. Established around 2000 by Carol Tomlinson, a professor at the University of Virginia, differentiation aims to provide dynamic instruction with intentionally different options for content, delivery, and demonstration. While several of our staff have pursued training in this method, including a presentation to all staff, only six have engaged in the multi-day workshop with Carol Tomlinson at the Curry School. By the end of this year, that number should be closer to 25 staff. As part of the strategic vision, with support from Head Teachers and the Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, we hope that our Learning Specialists will be able to lead and encourage our entire staff in this training. We currently have two staff in these positions — Cait10
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lin Cameron (Early and Lower Schools) and Kerry Howard (Middle School). While our Upper School Counselor, Deepa Bhatt-Mackin, currently attends to learning needs, in the coming year, a dedicated Learning Specialist will join the Upper School staff. Caitlin, Kerry, and Deepa recently sat down to further explain and weigh in on the potential for differentiation. Caitlin: Differentiation is philosophically aligned with our mission, to see the Light
tions benefit an individual. You could think of it this way: everyone can use a ramp, but not everyone can use stairs. Kerry: The entire educational field is moving away from a one-size fits all approach to transferring information. One aspect of differentiation is that it gives children the option to demonstrate what they learned in a number of different ways, which might include an oral presentation, a song, a visual format. One of the arguments
“Differentiation benefits everyone, while accommodations benefit an individual. You could think of it this way: everyone can use a ramp, but not everyone can use stairs.” — Deepa Bhatt- Mackin in everyone, and to provide a holistic education. It should further equity in the classroom, to make not an equal classroom, but an equitable classroom; not every child will need the same situation. Deepa: Differentiation benefits everyone, while accommoda-
for differentiation is that it better enables a mixed ability grouping of students. If two students are both struggling in a particular concept, there is nothing to aspire to — their assumption is that struggle is just how it is. In a mixed ability classroom, students have
inspiration to improve. The challenge there is providing the social emotional support to prevent students from feeling uncomfortable in their difference. Differentiation can be hard to put your finger on, and for that reason it is actually controversial in the world of education. Caitlin: New literature is starting to question differentiation’s effectiveness, and the question is do teachers just need appropriate training to implement it well? Differentiating instruction is a complex task, an art, and a skill that needs to be honed.
Caitlin Cameron, Early and Lower School Learning Specialist
Kerry Howard, Middle School Learning Specialist
Kerry: What is equally true for differentiation or any program we can implement is that if you don’t implement it with fidelity, there is no promise it will work. — Katherine Scott, with research by Sam Brothers ’21
Deepa Bhatt-Mackin, Upper School Counselor
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHTS AND RULES? Who gets to decide what they are? These are some of the questions explored this fall by the oldest students at our Durham Early School. As part of their study of rights and rules, they visited Durham’s City Hall. Each week, the students take an adventure to explore the greater community. While at City Hall, they visited the City Council Chambers and posed questions to Jillian Johnson, Mayor Pro Tempore and City Council Member. One of the students asked: what happens when rules “wrong the rights?” Exploring the rights of children is an important part of the Durham Early School curriculum.
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More Than a Letter or Number How authentic assessment anchors our education Our authentic, thoughtfully designed approach to student assessment is one of the greatest strengths of our school. Educational research has established the benefits to students of evaluation that goes beyond cumulative letter and number grades. In the last four years, a growing movement of schools across the globe is choosing alternative assessment methods. But Carolina Friends School’s pioneering educators recognized the value of a more holistic approach from the very beginning. The cornerstone of our assessment, student narratives, provide teacher observations as well as results of multiple data points. These include a variety of testing techniques and demonstrations of knowledge: from quizzes to podcasts, in-class games to group projects and written assignments, just to name a few. Head Teachers and teachers continually examine our portfolio of tools based on current research in child development and recognized best practices in qualitative and quantitative measures. While teachers collect this information to share with parents, the role of the student in the process is crucial. Our assessment process teaches students how to recognize good work, identify weak points, and to set a high bar of excellence for themselves. Shifting the focus away from the reward or punishment that comes with traditional grading and to-
A ward feedback and encouragement allows students to dig deeper and reach higher in their knowledge and understanding. It also encourages hands-on and interactive learning — while the path to a student’s mastery of concepts and skills is important, the differences from one student’s path to another are not. Without the stigma of traditional report card grades, students are freed to take chances, to explore a topic or skill that challenges them without fear of failure. Because the assessment is continual, it also allows students to continue working in an area until they are able to understand and apply that learning, progressively building from a place of strength. Assessing student progress in this holistic way also helps to reduce the role of bias in grading. Each individual learning style is informed, in part, by their experiences. Personal identities of gender, race, religion, culture, and socio-economic status are just a few of the facets that shape not only a child’s lived experience but a teacher’s. Providing a variety of ways to evaluate students’ learning creates more opportunity for them to demonstrate that growth, and it removes the additional identifier of being an “A” or “C” student. Each child is encouraged in a way that allows them to be their best. — Katherine Scott
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“By the time students leave us, we want them to know the full beauty of their spirits; to know their capacity for academic curiosity and performance; to know how to risk themselves in dance, theatre, and the arts; to know how to search for truth and to research truths and theories expounded by others; to know how to share in the work and the political and social process of a community; to know how to reach out to others and be loving, caring, and friendly. And to take responsibility for their own education and growth. That’s a tall order. Still, that’s what we aim for….We feel our evaluation system reflects these goals.”
— ELLEN MITCHELL, Upper School Teacher, writing for We & Thee in 1980
LENS ON CAMPUS
Lower School’s math morning provides teachers with the opportunity to create interactive workshops to teach math principles. This format allows for activities that require more extensive setup, such as Michael Bonsignore’s inflatable whale. Students first measure the whale using a standard measure — meters, then use unconventional methods — an umbrella and their feet! They then compare their findings. Finding interesting ways for students to demonstrate and apply their knowledge is a key feature of our education, across all units.
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An Institute for Teaching and Learning Expanding our role as a global resource in education Carolina Friends School has for five decades built an educational program that honors the authentic voice of children in their own learning and supports teachers in honing their craft — and leaders in the educational field have taken note. In addition to impacting over 500 students and their families each year in our learning community, we have also created programs expanding our outreach into the community, through both our Extended Learning and Peaceful Schools, NC programs. The time is now ripe to create a unique hub for teaching innovation and the development of global citizenship, guided by the years of experience and driven by the mission of Carolina Friends School. As part of our strategic vision, we will develop a new institute for teaching and learning. It will gather and grow existing efforts in Extended Learning (including Summer Programs and enrichment courses), Peaceful Schools NC, staff professional development, and global learning. It will also serve as an incubator for new signature educational programs. This will make elements of our extraordinary educational approach
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more visible and accessible to other schools and organizations, provide new and deeper experiences for inquiry and leadership for our students and staff, and enhance revenue for the School. Our teachers will benefit from a support structure for the incubation of new ideas and initiatives and intercultural exchanges. Our current students and families will benefit from new opportunities for travel, learning, and leadership. The institute will afford our alumni and other community members new avenues for engagement. It will also strengthen our ability to attract prospective families by communicating the value of our educational model through visible leadership in the educational community. Work to create this institute has already begun. A full-time position was created this year to provide administrative support for the existing initiatives now gathered under the umbrella of the institute and to coordinate our Summer Programs. Ruthie Allen, a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate and summer Leadership Team veteran has brought a deep respect for Quaker values, abundant energy, and creative new ideas to the role. In addi-
Extended Learning
Innovation Incubator
Institute for Teaching and Learning Professional Development
Peaceful Schools
Global Initiatives
60 Last year, around 60 educators visited Carolina Friends School, from as far away as China, Ecuador, and Germany.
tion, we’re excited to announce that Director of Extended Learning Anthony L. Clay will be expanding his current role to work closely with the Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning and the staff for Peaceful Schools NC (also teachers in our Middle School). While he will continue to oversee development of Extended Learning programs, he will become the institute’s first director. He has already brought his characteristic sense of innovation and depth of knowledge about our School to work envisioning the potential for the institute. Providing this additional support and gathering ongoing work has enabled more strategic collaboration and deeper engagement with external partners, including the six other schools in the Peaceful Schools, NC network and the Huafa Schools of Zhuhai, China, as well as the current families served by our Extended Day, Student Enrichment, and Summer Programs.The staff who are constructing the institute want to create not just an administrative office but a hub and ecosystem for collaboration and innovation unseen in the pre-K through grade 12 landscape. Students, researchers, and practitioners would all have a role in helping to redefine education in the 21st century. We are ready to help. — Katherine Scott
“School to Peace Pipeline” Conference Attracts Nearly 200 Educators Last October, public and independent school educators from across the Southeast gathered for Peaceful Schools NC’s biannual conference exploring “voices in peace education, school climate, and conflict resolution.” Workshops on topics including mindfulness, empathy building, inclusion, growth mindset, and more were led by 24 presenters, including seven CFS staff. Peaceful Schools NC is a Carolina Friends School initiative that provides educator instruction and consultation in peace education, and is building a growing network of schools in North Carolina, Georgia, and China.
“I had a wonderful experience at The School to Peace Pipeline event. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to learn from and connect with a variety of educators who are serous about making our schools more equitable, inviting, and peaceful for all students and families.” — Conference Attendee
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Curiosity and Social Responsibility in a Digital Age Navigating technology and social media with our children Our global culture, increasingly connected through technology, presents new challenges and opportunities in supporting healthy childhood development. Head of School Karen Cumberbatch, Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning Renee Prillaman, and Director of Extended Learning Anthony L. Clay gathered this fall to share what families need to know to navigate these topics together. A version of this article originally appeared in Health and Healing in the Triangle. Skills and Experiences Our Children Need
Karen: We know that access to a diversity of perspectives and people enhances cognitive and critical thinking, problem-solving, and social-emotional development. Learning how to build strong connections, how to navigate through conflict resolution, how to be more empathetic — those skills and mental muscles are strengthened by exposure to a diversity of cultures and people. Anthony: If you want to successfully navigate the modern world, one so divided in many ways, you have to give students the skill set to peacefully resolve conflict. Peace, harmony, and understanding may sound like cliched words, but we need that kind of intentional, strategic, smart work. Providing children with the tools to navigate challenges for themselves is core to our work at Carolina Friends School. Renee: Also crucial is the need for creative expression and the arts. Access to creative expression and creative endeavor — which take different forms for different children — provides a way to come to peace with oneself and a way to be an agent for change. The role of teaching and learning for us at
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Carolina Friends School is not only to help kids become effective scientists, historians, writers, artists, and researchers, but to do that in the interest of following a passion that makes a difference in the world. The Benefits and Dangers of Technology
Anthony: Technology provides great potential for meaningful engagement and global connectedness. We can’t always travel back and forth across the world. Karen: Of more concern are the wide variety of “educational” video programs and apps that build on our fears and insecurities as parents. There are those geared for very young learners that purport to give your child a leg up without much evidence. In particular, claims to help a child “become an early reader” are suspect. Our approach is that children’s readiness about literacy skills varies widely. Forcing reading on children who are not ready is not best practice. There are also some programs that are being developed in alignment with research, and use of these in a learning environment, with support from teachers, is different than a home “educational” game. Renee: Technology is not a substitute for true relationship-building; it is a vehicle that can support and facilitate relationship. Social media creates a risk of replacing authentic interpersonal connections in children’s lives. Deciding what is or is not appropriate for your child requires rigorous oversight on the part of parents, but there is good information out there. Common Sense Media provides great resources for assessing these kinds of media.
Karen Cumberbatch, Renee Prillaman, and Anthony L. Clay discuss ways to support children’s health.
Knowing Your Child: Listening/Observing
Karen: Whether it is assessing a child’s use of technology and social media or engaging them in difficult subjects, it’s important to be guided by what your child is telling you or showing you. At what stage is your child? Should your child wait a little longer to play a game, or have access to a smartphone? Be attuned to your individual child’s readiness. Renee: In particular, take into account and observe what is anxiety-provoking for your child. In what should be an inventive and hopeful period in many children’s lives, we are seeing increased anxiety and depression. We can help them manage these hard things. Be led by their questions.
Karen: Developmentally, there is a difference between things that are traumatic or violent and things that are in the realm of care. There is perhaps more opportunity than we realize to engage cautiously with our kids. I can remember a conversation I had with my own daughter at age five or six, when she said “I want to be white.” She was reflecting on her friendship group, and noticing a difference between herself and others. I would never have thought to begin that conversation at that age, but they’re noticing and thinking about things that we may not realize. — Katherine Scott
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Better Communicating Our Mission Building the language to reach new audiences In working to ensure our ability to attract mission-aligned and diverse families and staff, it is important to be able to clearly state the value of our educational model. While members of our learning community each articulate what they love about the School in their own way, having clearer messages about our mission and the intentionality behind our program will give every one of us tools to be advocates. To advance this work, we have chosen to partner with consultants from Mission Minded, a marketing firm which focuses exclusively on schools and nonprofits.
Last June, Mission Minded began their discovery phase by interviewing a number of current and former students, staff, parents, and community members by phone. An online survey was then conducted in August of all current staff and families, alumni, and Upper School students. The consultants made note of the depth of connection to and appreciation for our school expressed by community members. Mission Minded then engaged a group of staff from across units in two on-site workshop sessions on identity and messaging.
A core team composed of the Head of School, Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, Communications Coordinator, and Directors of Admission, Finance and Human Resources, and Advancement are working to finalize and refine the final product as well as to generate new admission materials. We eagerly look forward to sharing the results with our community! — Katherine Scott
In September, we hosted Gaspard Louis and his dance company, Gaspard & Dancers, for a threeday residency, thanks to support from the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation. Gaspard and the dancers led workshops with Middle and Upper School students in movement, teamwork, and modern dance technique. Gaspard is based in Durham and spent many years performing and creating with the famed dance company Pilobolus.
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Valuing Our Staff How we are examining our compensation Work to fulfill our educational mission, to amplify a child’s curiosity, confidence, and creative thinking, would be impossible without our passionate and dedicated staff. Assessing our salary and benefits in a way that honors the contributions of our staff, is built on transparency and equity, and is competitive within the marketplace is an important task, and a challenging one. In the last strategic plan, Meeting the Challenge, we were able to take a step forward in our compensation, and we are now working to make additional progress. Attracting and retaining highly skilled and diverse staff members is one priority outlined in The Dream That Drives Us. Recognizing the importance of this initiative, the Board of Trustees, Head of School, and
Director of Finance and Human Resources sought the guidance of John Littleford & Associates. John comes to his work as a consultant following an educational career spanning 25 years as a teacher and 18 as a school head. Katie Collini, Director of Finance and HR, says that “John helped us recognize that compensation goes beyond salaries. Establishing a compensation philosophy is critical, in addition to a structure that is flexible enough to best meet the needs of staff.” Last April, John assisted the Board in conducting a review of the School’s current approaches and future opportunities in the areas of compensation, benefits, workload, and evaluation. This included confidential interviews with all members of School leadership, eight trustees, and
18 staff members representing a cross-section of teaching and non-teaching staff and a range in years of experience, time at CFS, age, and for the teaching staff, grade level and subjects taught. This was followed by two workshops for those interviewed, one focused on the issues and concerns of teaching staff, and one on those of nonteaching staff. As competing obligations arose in completing our self-study for accreditation and finalizing our strategic vision, this work was paused. Beginning in January, committees of staff have resumed their examination of existing policies and work to propose adjustments or alternative methods. We anticipate completing this work by fall 2020. — Katherine Scott
Student Voice As an Upper School student, I like the fact that students are valued. The fact that teachers believe in our ability to take care of ourselves gives me a sense of self-empowerment. We are given autonomy in many forms, and students have opportunities to make their voices heard and make decisions for themselves. The biggest example of this is in the Clerks program. Every Tuesday, a meeting is held to raise and discuss issues about the School and work toward solutions. Every student can take part. We deal with issues ranging from school spirit to organizing events, from creating student resources to our community rules. — Sam Brothers ’21
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The Power of Restorative Justice An exploration in peace education Restorative justice is a means of resolving conflict by bringing the victim and offender together, often supported by other community members. When applied to a school setting, it empowers students to peacefully resolve their own conflicts. As a framework for student discipline, it works to restore community trust by including all students involved, rather than automatically removing a student from the community through a suspension. While this approach is gaining traction in educational systems across the country, it shares at its core the values of our peace education model. Here are some ways in which this process is made visible across our teaching units. Lower School
In the Lower School, students learn that we all make mistakes and that what’s important is to learn how to “make it right” when we do. We help the students involved figure out what is needed to make things right and how that can be carried out. A peaceful process of conflict resolution is the cornerstone of restorative justice in the Lower School. From the first year on, students are taught that conflict is a natural, inevitable part of living and that how it affects us depends upon how we respond to it, helping students to be less “blame driven” and more “solution driven.” Students learn to talk with one another about conflict through respectfully telling each other what happened and how they feel and listening respectfully to the other person. Often, they are able to resolve conflicts on their own; if they need more help, a teacher is always nearby to provide support. —Lisa Wilson Carboni, Head Teacher
Upper School
Restorative justice is at the heart of all of the Upper School’s disciplinary decisions. Students who have broken the community trust are asked to speak with those who have been affected by their decision, to understand the harm that has been caused, and to offer an apology as needed. Then they are asked to educate themselves (through assigned reading or viewing) so that they better understand what’s at stake and why the issue matters. Finally, they write a reflection, sometimes in answer to guiding questions, to demonstrate that they’ve synthesized this new material. One way that we want these techniques more explicitly incorporated into our practice is by providing restorative justice training to all Upper School staff and to the students on the Student Staff Disciplinary Committee later this Spring. We have partnered with Student U (a local organization specializing in student empowerment) to provide this training. — John Utz, Dean for Students Chapel Hill Early School
We reflect the spirit of restorative justice by being responsive to the specific particulars of each situation that arises. Every problem deserves a thoughtful response, every mistake deserves an opportunity for reflection, and every challenge that children experience together deserves helpful support to find the appropriate process and resolution for that particular issue. We always seek a way forward that will enable us to restore the health and balance of a particular relationship at a particular time, not general consequences for generic transgressions. Restorative justice is always contextual. — Brad Kershner, Head Teacher
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Athletics Spotlight Fall Season Highlights Varsity Volleyball Tri-TAC Regular Season Champions Abby Breschi, all-conference Alex Rauwald, all-conference Yana Levy, all-conference honorable mention Zoe Brader-Araje, allconference, all-state, conference player of the year Zoe DeBenedette, allconference
Junior Varsity Volleyball Undefeated in the regular season
Girls’ Tennis Asheton Ayotte, allconference, all-state
Boys’ Soccer Keith Longiotti, allconference honorable mention Matt Frey, all-conference
Cross Country Ryan Bliss, all-conference Samantha Wilson, allconference
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Community News
CFS Welcomes New Staff Members Susanna Lambert Durham Early School Teacher
Susanna grew up in Virginia, where she was fortunate to receive a Quaker education for middle school. She attended Cornell University and George Mason University, holds a degree in psychology, and earned her teaching license at UNC Chapel Hill.
Jeannine Brown Lower School Teacher
Jeannine has over 10 years of teaching experience in both independent and public school settings. She graduated from UNC Greensboro with a degree in education.
Kumar Sathy Lower School Teacher
Kumar received his graduate certification in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University and Masters in School Administration from UNC Chapel Hill. He has taught K-5 students in the U.S. and the International Baccalaureate (IB) and inquiry model in the Middle East.
Polly Clark Middle School Teacher
Polly received her BA in English from Connecticut College and an MA in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University. She taught for 14 years as a third grade teacher.
Alejandro Moreiras Middle School Social Studies and History Teacher
After finishing a master’s in religion at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, he first began teaching in the Middle School as a social studies teacher. He has returned to CFS after a hiatus to study toward a PhD. and teach religion at UNC Chapel Hill.
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Lauren Brownlee Upper School Head Teacher
Lauren is a product of Quaker education and a long-time Quaker educator. Lauren earned her BA in Ancient Greek Language and Classical Civilization from Wellesley College and her MA in Global, International, and Comparative History from Georgetown University.
Isabel Rios-Torres Upper School Spanish Teacher
Isabel was born and raised in a coastal town on the west side of Puerto Rico. She graduated with a Bachelor in Hispanic Studies from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master’s Degree in Romance Studies from Duke University. Isabel has taught for the last 16 years.
John Utz Upper School Dean for Students
John comes to CFS with over twenty years experience as an educator. He earned a BA in English from Southern Methodist University; an MAR. in Religion & the Arts from Yale Divinity School; and a PhD. in American Studies from Yale University.
Stefan Waldschmidt College Counselor
Stefan came to CFS after working with a college advising firm that used data and one-on-one mentorship. Before that, Stefan received his BA in English with a minor in Statistics from UCLA and his PhD in English from Duke University.
Claire Jenne Upper School Visual Arts Teacher Clair Jenne graduated from CFS in 1994. She received her BA from Warren Wilson
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College. In 2006, she served as temporary art teacher in the Upper School during another staff member’s maternity leave. Clair’s primary art medium is clay.
Andrew Lallier Interim Upper School Language Arts Teacher
A Durham native and CFS Upper School alum, Andrew studied English and German at UNC Chapel Hill and received his MA and PhD in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a focus on literature and philosophy.
Caique Vidal Upper School Music Teacher
Born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, he pursued his formal musical education with the school of arts, Liceu de Artes e Oficios da Bahia. For over nine years, Caique toured internationally, showcasing Afro-Brazilian culture and traditions.
Coleman Ikenberry Interim Middle School Science Teacher
Coleman graduated from CFS in 2013. After, she attended Guilford College, graduating with a degree in biology and environmental studies. Coleman previously worked at New Garden Friends School part-time and moved into a full-time position as the Director of Extended Care after graduating college.
Melissa Zemon Upper School Social Studies and History Teacher
Melissa graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications many moons ago, and went on to work as a Capitol Hill reporter, magazine editor, and associate publisher.
Leslie Roberts Middle/Upper School Library Assistant
Leslie graduated from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN with a BA in English and later received a master’s degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama. Leslie joined the CFS community in 2019 after several years teaching at a local Montessori school.
Lilly Lasher Durham Early School Extended Day Assistant Teacher
Lily is a recent graduate of Bard College in NY, majoring in Studio Arts and Anthropology. She has more than four years of experience working with early school children.
Ruthie Allen Summer Programs Coordinator, Institute of Teaching and Learning Assistant
Ruthie joined CFS in 2018 as a seasonal employee in Summer Programs. She graduated with distinction from the UNC Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s in Public Policy, minoring in education and philosophy, political science, and economics.
Mary Kallem Technical Support Associate
Mary received her Masters of Library Science from UNC in 2018 and joined the CFS community in the summer of 2019. She also has four years of experience working as a writing tutor and STEM educator.
Alumni News Class Notes
CAITLIN LINNEY ’07 got
JENNIFER CURTIS ’96
celebrated the release of her new duo album, INVISIBLE RITUAL, a collaboration with MacArthur genius grant recipient Tyshawn Sorey (on percussion and piano) in January 2020. Available on Amazon. ANDREW LALLIER ’03, BETSY BERTRAM ’10, and COLEMAN IKENBERRY ’13,
are back at CFS in interim teaching positions this school year. Andrew is teaching Upper School language arts, Betsy is teaching Upper School yoga, and Coleman is teaching Middle School science.
engaged to Jeff Schoeny in January. Highlights of her musical career as Linney include having her original songs included in the TV shows All Of My Life, Riverdale, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. You can follow her on Instagram at @linneyofficial. ANDREW MERIWETHER ’10, an audio producer at the
Art Institute of Chicago and a freelance journalist in Chicago, just landed his first free lance opportunity with WBEZ public radio with the piece What’s The Deal With ‘Midwest Nice?’ You can listen to the podcast by going to wbez.org and going to the January 11 episode of the show Curious City.
VIOLET TRISOLINI ’11 received
The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University’s award for Excellence in Social Responsibility, and started her career as a labor and delivery nurse at UNC. SAM SOCKWELL ’12 got
engaged to Hope Peterson in July. A wedding is anticipated in September 2022. CARTER HODGE ’14, who attended UNC on a MoreheadCain scholarship, was awarded the inaugural Joanne and Victor Marshall Bluegrass Award from the UNC Department of Music.
Carter Hodge ‘14
Editor’s note:
Sam Sockwell ’12 and fiancée Hope Peterson
Our list of 2019 graduates in the summer issue was missing Madison Brook Chandler. Our sincere apologies to Madison and her family!
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Alumni News MARISA RAUWALD ’16 is
excited to announce that she’ll be interning at NBC Sports for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and just wrapped up an internship at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
TAL CHATTERJEE ’19 has
been busy auditioning and filming in LA. She had a role in Giants Being Lonely, which was nominated for the Horizon Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival in September. She had callbacks for The Walking Dead, and even though she did not land the role, she was psyched to be one of four actors considered. She continues to pursue modeling jobs and auditions at every possible opportunity.
Congratulations to our alumni for their efforts in the The World Flying Disc Federation’s (WFDF) World Under-24 Ultimate Championships in Heidelberg, Germany: HENRY FISHER ’14, KATE LANIER ’18, DILLON LANIER ’16, LIAM SEARLES-BOHS’ 17, SOL YANUCK ’14, and MATT GOUCHOE-HANAS ’14 played on the Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed USA Ultimate National Teams, each winning the gold medal. JOANNA SONG ’19 also competed for the Chinese national team!
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Above: Marisa Rauwald ’16 Below: Henry Fisher ’14, Sol Yanuck ’14, Dillon Lanier ’16, Kate Lanier ’18, Liam Searles-Bohs’17, and Matt Gouchoe-Hanas ’14; Caitlin Linney ‘2007 and fiancée Jeff Schoeny.
Alumni News
Winter Break Alumni Athletics In late December and early January, alumni athletes joined current students on the ultimate field and the volleyball and basketball courts for friendly competition and community building. Interested in joining next year? Be sure we have your current email address! www.cfsnc.org/contact
Alumni, Share Your News! Births, marriages, professional news — whatever you’d like to share. You may submit your announcement online:
cfsnc.org/ alumnotes
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Alumni News News & Opportunities Join us for Celebrating Dance and Each Other, organized by Annie Dwyer and Carrie Huff and intended to bring together former CFS dancers and the community that celebrated them in their early years, April 10-11 at the CFS Performing Arts Center.
Last May, Jasmine Powell ’04 premiered her dance project Approximation of a Woman with the Durham Independent Artist Series (DIDA). In January, Jasmine presented this work to our Upper School and older Middle School students. Following the performance, Jasmine and the dancers in her production answered students’ questions.
Giving Day 2020 is approaching! Last year, 65 alums from 30 class years helped us raise $52,016 for the Annual Fund. Join us this year by: • making a gift on March 5 • sharing the giving link on your social media • letting others know why CFS is important to you! Be sure to check in throughout the day to see how your class is doing!
Are you a published author (self-published included)? We hope to establish a collection of alumni works and would love to include you in an alumni collection. Fiction or nonfiction, adult or youth audience, please send your books to Rebecca Swartz, Alumni Coordinator, at 4809 Friends School Rd, Durham, NC 27705. The 2020 Alumni Theatre Performance will be here before you know it, and Austin Campion ’02 and Eric Love ’05 are excited to support a robust crew in a production of A Christmas Carol. The production will take place on December 26 with rehearsals running December 18 – 23 (there’s some flexibility here – do not let the rehearsal schedule keep you from expressing your interest.) LEARN MORE ONLINE: CFSNC.ORG/ALUMNI
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At Carolina Friends School, we believe the best education must amplify a child’s curiosity, courage, and creative thinking. Every day, we empower our students to question the world around them, discover their passions, think deeply, and raise their voice in service of the greater good. Because when our students are taught how to think not just what to think, they graduate ready to live successfully and purposefully in the world. Your support gives life to the dreams of our students — you can hear it in their own words.
“I’ve learned to never be afraid to ask a question. Teachers encourage my curious side.”
“I like knowing that we are helping the community and the earth.”
“What is meaningful to me is the ability to challenge myself beyond what’s necessary.”
“I like how much trust we have with the teachers, and how much freedom.”
“We are respected and loved. I like the student-teacher connection.”
“The teachers are more than just teachers, and the whole community knows each other.
www.cfsnc.org/donate
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S F C Day g
n 2020 i v i G ch 5, r
Ma
Beloved Community Tour Exploring Civil Rights Struggles, Past and Present, in the South June 20-25, 2020 www.cfsnc.org/rightstour
This six-day/five-night experience will explore civil rights history in Atlanta, Tuskegee, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham. Join us to explore contemporary issues of race in our country and meet change-agents working to make a difference.
