Inquiry, Reflection, and Taking Action: Year End Projects with the Seventh and Eighth Grade

April brings thawing ground, sprouting crocuses, and the long-awaited gallery walk for Year End Projects (YEPs) in seventh and eighth grade. This is the current iteration of a project that many past FSP educators have played a role in shaping. YEPs have been shaped over time. YEPs began in our earliest years, when Mary Tracy, founding teacher, and former Art teacher, Celeste Henriquez, piloted an eighth-grade Arts and Social Justice Project that asked the question: What is something you'd like to learn about and work on to improve the world? The YEPs are now a project that seventh and eighth-grade students alike take on. And these projects still begin with Pete Curtis’ framing: “In a perfect world, how would this topic be addressed?”

This project uses research, writing, interviews, and action to support students in developing their journey of understanding. In a first essay, students define a problem. This could be historical research, seeking out relevant experts, and understanding why the topic is important. This first essay gives them context for the next step, an interview with someone already working on their topic. One typical interview question is, “I am looking for an action step. What do you think will be useful?” Next comes the second essay, a reflection on the interview and the action. 

This project helps develop life skills: reaching out to someone you don’t know with a polite request to meet, being open to how your ideas might shift the more you learn. One important aspect of this project is how action is defined so broadly: educating, listening, participating, shadowing. Anyone can enter into action. I had the chance to speak with a few students about any shifts in perspective they had during the course of their process, or anything they wish more people knew about their topic.

“I interviewed Dustin Ward, who’s leading our Equity Assessment. I also interviewed Ali Smith, who’s on the board at FSP and who is the Director of Culture and Community at an organization that helps educators with DEI work. We can’t pretend that we’re not in a hard place in our country, but we can’t stay silent even if it’s hard. I was excited that so many people took a copy of my Zine, “We Say, Speak, and Use These Words,” which was full of the words that the current administration has banned. I also wrote the words on my arms for my presentation, as a way of etching them, not letting them go away. They had started to fade by Saturday (the day of the Hands Off protest), so I retraced them, as a way to visually stand up for what I believe.”

–Seventh-grade student

“I talked to Kim Simmons (alum parent) about Title IX for my project. I wanted to know her view on Trump and the transgender athlete topic. I went to the Hardy Girls conference at Waynflete as a way to do research. Seeing how many people there were who care was really amazing: about feminism and pushing away gender stereotypes, and speaking up with signs and protest. It was a safe community where everyone supported each other. At the beginning of this project, all I thought was ‘women need equality, the same things (opportunities, media coverage, resources) that men get in sports.’ It grew beyond that, with education, and with transgender people, too. The timing of the project overlapped with Trump’s challenge to Title IX, which put itself into my project.”

–Seventh-grade student

“One of my biggest revelations was how much domestic violence affects everyone in the world. It’s such a hidden issue, and to think about how much it uproots the lives of people around us because it really limits what you can do independently, so it can become your whole life. It had always been important, but now I feel a new passion. I think I will look for more opportunities to take action. I interviewed Mattie Daughtry, the President of Senate in Maine. They said that whenever they’re in session and a student comes in to testify, it’s always a thousand times more impactful to hear than if it were coming from an adult. That made me realize there’s a window of time as a young person speaking up, that I shouldn’t let pass me by.”

–Eighth-grade student

“My topic started as ‘temu’ online retailing and turned out to be about buying locally. I wanted to try to find out if it was a scam or a genuine thing, and it’s both. My first essay got to the bottom of Temu, and then I interviewed the head of the board at ‘Portland Buy Local.’ My favorite thing I learned was that fifty percent of the money you spend stays in your community if you buy locally.”

–Seventh-grade student

“My topic was aquaponics. My favorite thing I learned was that aquaponics is a farming method that basically has no downside, no waste. My interview was really helpful – I talked to Emily Donaldson, an employee at Springworks Farm. I wish people knew that if they think from a more creative perspective, they can accomplish great things.”

–Seventh-grade student

“My project was originally about how ski resorts negatively impact the environment. Over the course of this project, my topic shifted to the role of solar panels in the ski industry. I talked to a local ski resort owner who installed solar panels. He was able to help the environment while helping his business grow. Solar panels in ski resorts are a very manageable way to help the environment. I created a website about the issue and an informational sticker. We have a lot of stuff to do to help the environment and not a lot of time to do it.”

–Seventh-grade student

“My project was about repatriation, which I didn’t know much about at the beginning. I am getting our school’s skeleton forensic testing at USM with help from an anthropology and gender studies professor. It’s a complicated topic, but the basic idea is the return of objects that shouldn’t be where they are. It’s also about rebuilding trust, between institutions, tribes, and countries.”

–Eighth-grade student

Pete, 7-8 Class teacher, shared that having an audience that matched their excitement was very rewarding for the students.  Nicole, 7-8 Class teacher, echoed this: “Helping young people practice the art of conversation in a scaffolded way is really far-reaching. Helping students learn that even small talk doesn’t have to be small. Students practiced and prepared for short, intimate conversations about topics they care about.”

Stewardship in the Classroom with Xanthe and Will's 1-2 Class

Xanthe and Will's 1-2 class noticed a problem: they had a hard time picking up and finding a place to store their belongings. They set to work thinking about how to find a solution together!

Students decided to design a modular storage system for boots, gloves, and other items in the classroom.

"We drew our designs. We tried to imagine what it would be like to use them in real life." - Second-grade student

What if our gear is wet?

What gear should go in the bins?

"Then we thought about what materials we would need. We didn't want to buy plastic bins." - First-grade student

Do we use plastic or newspaper to line the bins?

Students decided to line each bin with plastic and newspaper.

Do we need handles on our bins?

Will everything fit?

How do we pull the bins out from under the bench?

Students asked questions and came up with answers together.

"We found that each bin could be 13.5 inches wide. But we wanted to leave space inbetween the boxes so that we could pull them out so we made each bin 13 inches wide." - Second-grade student

Each student painted and decorated their box.

They wrote letters to Stan and the rest of his Deep Dive Cleaning Crew: Humberto and Junior. Each student thanked them for cleaning the classroom every day.

Students applied what they had learned in their recent engineering unit to solve a real-world problem in the classroom.

Full of Wonder: Visiting Artists' Week

Visiting Artists' Week is an FSP tradition. This year's theme is "Wonder." This year, we welcomed 12 artists. Students had the opportunity to choose to work on a diverse array of projects in multi-age classrooms.

Below are many photos and a little more about each artist who joined FSP to share their talents for the week:

Aubrey Calaway is an award-winning transgender audio producer, writer, and educator. His written work has been published in Cite Magazine, the Texas Observer, the Houston Chronicle, Weathered, and the forthcoming Maine Transgender Poetry Anthology. He has produced audioworks for TransLash Media, the Contemporary Arts Institute Miami, MIT, Black Mountain Radio, and Earth Refuge. Aubrey is a graduate of Brown University and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and was the 2023 Salt Artist in Residence at Monson Arts. He has taught audio storytelling at Grackle & Grackle, Brightline Defense, and Salt. 

Claire Loon Baldwin is a Maine-based illustrator, designer, and storyteller inspired by the surreal beauty of nature. She spent several years working as an environmental educator and national park ranger throughout the west, and strives to inspire wonder and reverence for the natural world with her art. In 2018, Claire created the official centennial poster series for Grand Canyon National Park. Since then, her clients have included the Maine Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, and Down East Magazine. Claire is currently working on her first book illustration project with DK Publishing. Her primary mediums include watercolor, ink, gouache, and digital media. https://www.claireloonbaldwin.com/

Deena Ball is a practicing fine artist specializing in watercolor and plein air painting, with over 30 years of teaching experience with both adults and children at various venues across the country. Her work as a teaching artist with children includes residencies that integrate art with elementary or middle school subjects, such as a food truck project combining math and art through business plan development, logo design, and 3D truck construction, or a "Life in a Pond" project merging science and art with paper sculpture. In addition to teaching, she is represented by two Maine galleries—Richard Boyd Art Gallery in Portland and North Light Gallery in Belfast.www.deenasball.com

Ellie Porta-Barnet is a painter by trade. She's been working with ceramics for 6 years. Ellie loves the unknown of it, how it’s a constant surprise, and there is so much to explore. Her work is a way for her ideas to be out in the world; it varies and constantly changes.

Jill Osgood is an artist, educator, and Maine Master Naturalist who strives to find wonder whenever she walks out her door. She loves exploring nature everywhere, even in her Portland neighborhood. She teaches art and natural history to children, and loves to instill curiosity wherever she goes. She feels like her time has been well spent if students leave with more questions than answers!

Jolie Day is an artist and art educator living and working in Memphis, TN. Her personal artwork ranges from autobiographical comics, lumpy ceramics, and art about her love of costume dramas. Her teaching practice focuses on decentering 'the old masters' in arts education, fostering student agency, and fore-fronting contemporary artists from traditionally underrepresented groups in her curriculum. She has ping-ponged around the country from North Carolina to Maine to Tennessee, and loves a good adventure. She is also FSP's former Art Teacher!

Laura Glendening has worked for over twenty years teaching art in schools and community programs, and holds a Master’s degree in Art Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She spent her early years teaching in Holyoke and co-founded the Peaks Island Fiber Arts Camp as a place to tell stories, create community, make art, and to be a part of the land around us.

Mary Dunham is a henna artist of 30 years. She holds a BFA in fine art photography. She is a mural artist, tattooist, and reiki teacher. 

Molly Simpson is an illustrator and former farmer. She likes drawing with kids, especially tigers with her nephews, and lately likes quilting sea creatures. Molly also likes growing and eating vegetables, spends as much time outside as possible, and one day hopes to make a children’s book.

Rich Entel is a visual artist who works in sculpture, painting, and printmaking. He lives in Portland and also works as a physician in the area. His daughter is a very happy first grader at FSP. www.entelmenagerie.squarespace.com

Sarah Boyden is a Teaching Artist with over 25 years of experience in 20 local schools. In each community, she strives to connect the arts with curriculum, empower through creativity, and promote awareness of Neurodiversity in a supportive learning environment. Sarah is a Teaching Artist with SidexSide and part of the Aucocisco School community.

Veeva Banga is dedicated to sharing Afro Beats, West African, and Hip hop dance. With over a decade of experience in teaching Afrobeats, Veeva focus is on sharing the rich cultural dance heritage of various African styles. Her platform is dedicated to showcasing African dance, videos, promoting workshops, and offering valuable insights into the world of Afrobeats dance.​​

Inner Light: A Conversation with Sara Primo and Rich Nourie, Retired Head of Abington Friends School

Pictured above: Early childhood families gathered for the Solstice Spiral. This winter tradition celebrates the rhythms of nature and models the rhythms for our own lives.

I recently had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Rich Nourie, recently retired head of Abington Friends School, to talk with him about Light. Speaking with Rich for about forty minutes over Zoom is a little like traveling a great distance to spend a few days at a spiritual retreat. Rich started his career in Quaker schools at Moses Brown before working at Germantown Friends School. His wife Robin Nourie was my colleague in the English department at GFS for many years. He was the beloved head of Abington Friends School from 2005 to spring of 2024, and we had the chance to catch up over Zoom last week.

Sara: One thing that came up when I saw you in Philadelphia this summer is that we tend to get it wrong, in American culture, when we think about light as how special individuals are. I wonder if you could talk more about how you define light in opposition to that understanding.

Rich: It’s not just American culture. It’s many of our Friends Schools. One of the things that’s tricky about Quakerism is that the simplicity of it can lead to an easy misapprehension of it. You can feel like “Oh, I get it. That sounds like me. I agree with those things.”

Sara: And it can be harder than it sounds.

Rich: And the concepts are such that you can project a lot onto them, Inner Light being one of them. In such an individualistic culture, as American culture is, what we really prize is what’s special about you. In Quaker schools, sometimes that preciousness of the individual child gets conflated with this concept of Inner Light in ways that can pull us away from its real meaning and power. And there really is a tremendous role for the uniqueness of each one of us. And I love the fact that our education is for a wide range of outcomes and not a single one. We need the poets and the caretakers and the comedians and the musicians and the analysts and the data scientists and the activists and the politicians. All of those roles are necessary for a right, functioning world. So I love the fact that we do prize the diversity of roles and paths of individuals, in the discernment each person is called to, to find their relationship between what they love, what the world needs, and what they’re good at. All of that is true, and I would never dismiss the incredible value of each individual and their unique gifts.. 

But it shouldn’t be confused with the concept of Inner Light, because Inner Light is what Quakers point to as what is sacred in the universe, in all of creation. It is “That of God” that courses through all of life. It is the ground from which all life is formed; it is the essential nature at the heart of each one of us – where we’re from, where we’re destined to be at our fullest and finest as human beings. 

Sara: I feel susceptible to the over-abbreviation of Inner Light that we’re talking about… If I’m hearing you right: the wonder we take in each student, or the beauty of what they’re showing us of who they are inside. That’s not mutually exclusive with what you’re talking about, but it’s not what you’re talking about. 

Rich: When we think about Quaker teachings, we often think first about the testimonies, and understandably. They’re so valuable to our lives in community. But the true central idea of Quakerism is that we’re always in the presence of the sacred. It is within us, around us, between us. It is that sacred energy, the goodness that animates the universe. It is the goodness from which we come. It is the inexhaustible supply of love in the universe. It is the larger transcendent true reality, that is so far beyond our comprehension but which we have a capacity to be enriched by and in attunement with. That is our calling, to live attuned to that greater truth. We’re not meant to be perfect, not meant to be all. That light which is at the heart of every one of us, is refracted through each of us as individuals, in beautiful ways.

Sara: Do you think light and truth are closer to synonyms than people think?

Rich: I think they are. My commencement words this year were about this central idea that we’re always in the presence of the sacred. We as human beings have a tremendous capacity to be responsive to the sacred, but because we are easily distracted and easily deluded, we live with a flickering connection to that deeper identity. One way to create a common ground of talking about it is: transcendent experience. When we are in the presence of the ocean, that is larger than us, it invites us into a larger sense of being without diminishing us.

Sara: That gets me wondering if part of the work in a Quaker school is to make that more accessible, to keep that wonder more available. Silence is one tool.

Rich: Silence in Friends schools is a beautiful invitation, but we often walk into that meeting as asleep as anyone. That’s who we are as humans. What I would say is: Light is a metaphor for the sacred. So the question I have is: what are the qualities of light that can teach us about the sacred? Light illuminates without coercion. Light is warm. Light shines through. There’s a peacefulness to its extraordinary energy. Light doesn’t feel frenetic. If Light is a metaphor for the sacred, how can an inquiry into the qualities of light teach us more about the sacred: how can we think about light in that way?

Sara: I wondered if you had thoughts about what it was like when you were head of a Quaker school, to be a religious institution open to a lot of different belief systems. You must have seen a lot of different reasons people were there, and I wonder how you approached that range?

Rich: What I have loved about being the head of a Quaker school is: we are unusual in our ability to form a genuine spiritual community amidst a wide diversity of relationships to formal religion or not, religious traditions or not. We live in a truly postmodern age where many people have moved beyond their family traditions or married within traditions… We’re called to, with intention, create lives of spirit, of goodness. Quakerism gives us a wonderful opportunity, as a non-creedal religion. 

It doesn’t ask us to believe very much with specificity, because more than being doctrinal, it’s experiential. It asks you to say what you know and not more than that. It us to be open to this broad, liberal, generous idea about what it means to be human beings. In the freedom to invoke spirit, the sacred, we have this opportunity to talk about the mystery of life. Because we are spiritual beings. We have the capacity of knowing on a deeper level that we don’t have to pretend doesn’t exist simply because we don’t agree on the same religious terminology. In our larger culture, because we’re a religiously diverse country, we have completely secularized the public space, because out of good intention, we want to avoid division or disrespect; but what we’ve lost is the ability to talk about that collective deeper reality and the search that’s at the heart of it, the mystery of it. As a Quaker school, we’re allowed to talk about that stuff. With a breadth of language, a breadth of metaphors that are points of entry for anyone. 

Sara: In closing, I wonder if there are times when as a head of school you had tapped best into Light, gone past metaphor and into the experience of Light.

Rich: There are lots of ways to be a valuable head of school. You form an ecology around your style of leadership. What is the ecology and weather that you create? For me, the role I played is first of all, continually reminding people of this set of unique responsibilities and opportunities we have as teachers and parents in this very special Quaker, spiritual setting. I draw a lot of inspiration from wide spiritual reading and podcasts and from my own religious practice as a progressive Catholic; I joke that at this point in my life and career, I am Quatholic. Feeding that set of ideas for yourself so you can provide that role if you’re called to it as a head of school, that this is what this work is about, this is how at our best we see each other, this is how when things break down we find a way to reset

Sara: And a community might need to hear they just leaned in well, or they faced a hard moment well together.

Rich: You just named something really important. We have to respect the depth and developmental nature that adults need to do in order to grow. We shorthand all the time. We think just by telling people that they are going to change. We know that change is predicated on deep learning. We’re good at it with kids, at designing learning that respects the pace of learning – the discovery that is genuine and linked to where a person is. But we sometimes forget we need to do that same kind of planning and design for our adult communities.

Sara: Thank you, Rich!

Inward Work: Reflections from Director of Studies, Nell Sears

Quakers speak often of “preparing heart and mind”, referring to internal work necessary to be ready for meetings for worship or business. Parker Palmer, Quaker and educator, described this process of preparing in similar ways for a “Meeting for Learning:” 

“...For conventional education, the learner prepares only with the mind. But in a meeting for learning, one’s total life must be brought along– not only intellect, but values, beliefs, relationships, actions, aspirations. Education, no less than worship, makes a claim on our total lives, and we must come to both meetings with that totality recollected and held up to the light.” (Meeting for Learning: Education in a Quaker Context, 8)

At Friends School of Portland, one of the pillars of our curriculum is, as our Curriculum Guide describes it, “reaching inward.” Teachers and students together engage in internal reflection and learning that prepares them to participate as members of their school community and beyond, to listen openly, and to seek truth as they navigate their educational journey together. Reaching Inward threads through our curriculum and instruction, and this aspect of our work together creates a learning culture where it is not only about what we can say and demonstrate, but also how we listen, reflect, and understand together. Below are three common categories of inner work at Friends School of Portland.

Identity

Teachers engage students in activities that help them to explore who they are and what they care about and to share themselves with their classroom community. Sometimes this looks like a self-portrait project or a ‘Where I’m from poem.” Other times it comes through classroom meetings and discussions where students are encouraged to engage with and communicate their connections, opinions, and passions. This month, Kindergarteners kicked off their yearlong study of letters by “collecting” words that are interesting to them and, through the language of dance and movement, noticing how different words make them feel differently.  

Community

Extending identity work, teachers help students to reach inward to understand not only who they are, but who they are in the context of their community. They support students to build supportive communities to which they can bring their whole selves and in which they can take risks. When preschoolers learn to listen to friends’ messages, first and second graders share their hopes and dreams for their class, or fifth and sixth graders define and practice group norms, students begin to understand what it is to do the internal work necessary to take care of themselves and one another in community.  

Resilience

Learning is rewarding and joyful, but it is also challenging. In order to learn, children (and all of us!) must be willing to take risks, to sit with confusion, to contend with complexity, and to work hard without external reward. Preparing inwardly for learning is important ongoing work. Teachers at Friends School center this work and make it explicit with children, helping children to understand what they are feeling, how to communicate those feelings, and how to access strategies to face into challenges and learn from them, both individually and collectively.

And of course, in our weekly Meeting for Worship, in the practices of silence that are threaded throughout the day, and in moments of group discernment, students engage in the collective practice of inner work and seeking truth in community.

Theater Adventures After FSP

Pictured above: End of year play in 2017.

At Friends School of Portland, the seventh and eighth-grade play is a tradition looked forward to and fondly remembered by all. Graduates can recall the plays that their class performed. And younger kindergarten buddies spend the final weeks of the school year reenacting scenes from “Alice in Wonderland,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and “Mid-Summer Night’s Dream” to name a few. This tradition began with Lee Chisholm and his late-wife Sukie Rice. Last year, music teacher, Bethany Schmitt, and AfterCare Director, Eliza, helped bring “Alice in Wonderland” to the meeting room stage at FSP.

Pictured above: End of year play in 2022.

Many students find roles in their high school, college, and community theater programs after trying out roles in middle school here. Vi Walsh ‘21, Amelia Connor-McCoy ‘19, and Mia Pierce ‘24 shared a bit about what they have been up to since their time at FSP.

Vi Walsh ‘21 shared:

Throughout my years in FSP, I always looked up to the 7th and 8th graders and the play they put on every year. I strived to be as good as them. I’m now a senior at Greely High School and just finished a production of MAMMA MIA! Where I played Donna. I am currently auditioning for many other things like my school’s spring play “You Can’t Take It With You,” colleges, and theatre programs. It’s been a lot of hard work; vocal lessons, sometimes not getting cast, learning to read music during senior year, and trying my hardest to improve as a dancer.

The best advice I could give to someone who wants to pursue theatre is: don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself. Acting is simply playing pretend, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It takes a lot of courage to get on stage and try something new. Oftentimes, the thing you are scared to do is what could land you the role. So lean into what you are afraid of! Don’t let worries of looking silly affect you or your work.

Theatre is all about your heart. So to be perfectly cliche, follow it.

Amelia Connor-McCoy ‘19 is now a Sophomore at the University of Rhode Island. She is majoring in Theatre with a double concentration in Acting and Design, with a focus on scenic painting. She is also minoring in Vocal Performance. 

Outside of theatre, she is still playing Ultimate Frisbee! She joined the URI club team "Disky Business" fall of her Freshmen year, and loves it. She also works as a camera operator, filming sports games at URI and at the Portland Sea Dogs in the summer. 

Amelia was recently cast in Machinal by Sophia Treadwell and directed by Rachel Walshe at the University of Rhode Island Theatre.

Mia Pierce ‘24 shared:

I was in Mary Poppins this summer and I played Winnifred Banks (the kids’ mom). Currently, I’m in Mt. Ararat’s production of Mama Mia playing Lisa. I am so excited!

Are you an FSP graduate currently in a theater production? We would love to hear from you!

Reach out to Development Director, Brooke, by email (brooke@friendsschoolportland.org) or fill out this quick google form: https://forms.gle/DubTGjPBUeYpGZ1Q7

Note Writing and Problem Solving

Writing letters to each other—during quiet time or before and after school—has been a popular pastime and a way that students enjoy practicing their new writing skills.

First and second-grade students recently worked together to solve a problem in their class: how to organize mailboxes for personal notes and schoolwork. Students shared their thoughts and ideas.

One idea was to write one note per day: "If you only have one note to read, you’ll give it all the time it needs to really appreciate it."

Another student shared that each mailbox could have a simple folder for notes and one for schoolwork.

And another student thought a schoolwork folder on top and notes underneath would be a good idea.

During classroom morning meetings, students worked to find a new way. There is so much to learn in noticing a problem and working with classmates to find a solution -- no matter how simple it might seem.

Connecting History to Personal Stories: Peter Kellman visits Middle School

"I really appreciated how engaged and motivated he was as a teen because he was only 19 at the time but was also so involved with the Civil Rights Movement and activism in general." -Seventh-grade student.

"This really stuck with me because he said it so matter-of-factly, the fact that he wouldn't go to Vietnam just to kill people he didn't even know. No one has ever talked that clearly to me about that." -Eighth-grade student

"One thing I found interesting in what Peter Kellman talked about was the idealism and energy of youth and how it differs from that of adults." - Seventh-grade student

The above are a few thoughts seventh and eighth-grade students shared after Peter Kellman visited their class. Peter took part in the Selma march for Voting Rights, participated in the Committee for Non-Violent Action; was heavily involved in protesting the Vietnam War (for which he was briefly exiled in Canada), and was a key labor movement activist in Maine. Speaking with him was a unique opportunity.

Prior to his visit, seventh and eighth-grade students had been studying the Selma March and watched this short documentary.

7-8 teacher, Pete Nowak shared afterward:

It felt like this was a real opportunity to link up big historical moments with an individual story -- to add a face and a real person's feelings to something we've all heard so much about.

It was especially auspicious to find someone who always had hope and the optimism to work for positive change at a time when many of us are feeling hopeless.

He talked to the kids about being a kid himself, about following his heart and doing what was needed rather than having some overarching idealistic plan.

He asked the kids about themselves and had them talk about their families -- he made his story feel like it's part of a bigger story we all share.

Computer Programming AfterSchool

This school year, Alex Hennings joined the AfterSchool crew to lead computer programming activity sessions. Students have been learning how to code with JavaScript by making small games.  

Each session has varied. During the last session, students worked on creating a game with a spaceship. The spaceship uses fuel to fly around and the player needs to reach the next fuel barrel before they run out. “I’ve really enjoyed leading the session because I get to pretend that I’m a kid, play with technology, and help little people grow,” shared Alex.  

“Kids have been endlessly positive and curious. And being a small part of the friends community has been a highlight!”

A few middle school students shared a few thoughts about the AfterSchool sessions so far. 

“I really liked making a game. I didn’t know how to before taking the class. But I now I do.”

“We made a spaceship game where you get points if you fuel the spaceship. And you lose points if you go too far without fueling or if a triangle touches you.” – Fifth-grade student 

“I didn’t really know what JavaScript is. I was surprised that we had to use this website from scratch. But now I know all about codes in JavaScript. It’s pretty cool.” – Sixth-grade student

“Alex is awesome and so is coding.” – Fifth-grade student

“It was really hard. It made my brain hurt. But I got to learn JavaScript. There isn’t a lot of math when you are playing a computer game. But there is way more math than I thought there would be when you are making the game. It’s complicated but fun.” – Sixth-grade student

“We made a game, you had to move this ball to a different spot. It was really hard and my first time doing something like it. I’m excited about trying it again in the next session. It’ll be my second time doing something like it.” – Fifth-grade student

Graduate Spotlight: Seth Dixon '18

Pictured above: Recent Zoom conversation with Seth Dixon'18 and Head of School, Sara Primo

Who are you now and what are you doing that really grabs your attention?

I’m a young person in college trying to figure out what I’m doing with my degree. Right now I’m working at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center here at the University of Maine Orono. Work has been very exciting, learning stuff I don’t really get to learn in the classroom.

I’m learning about leadership too. I’m the president of the Society of Automotive Engineers Club here on campus. It’s a slightly large team of twenty people, so learning how to manage people and manage time has been something I’ve been really working on this year.

My team had the Composites Center works with large thermoplastic structures. We have the largest plastic 3-D printer in the world here at UMaine. Our team is working with the prints it creates and trying to understand them better. We’re doing a lot with how to model how it performs: when it will break, how it will move. It transforms ‘it might work’ into real numbers that can be calculated. 

In high school, I was the team captain for our Robotics Team so I had a little bit of experience managing a team, but there were a lot of adults in the room helping. Here, there’s no adults involved now. There’s a lot of learning the background stuff, like the paperwork – it’s learning how to manage all the logistics.

What is a highlight of something that you have done since graduating?

The past two summers, I’ve been able to work at an internship with a small startup in Portland doing autonomous sailboats. They are developing an autonomous sailboat designed for estuary and ocean research; it’s only 2 meters. That was really cool to see a company working and being able to help with a project that could have a real impact. One of the projects they’d like to use it for is water quality in the Chesapeake Bay to help introduce oysters since all the oysters have been farmed out and the water has subsequently gotten really gross. That was cool and very direct: look at this, I’m doing something to help. During that internship, I did some design work for the control system, I helped design the human interface. And I helped with testing.

Do you have a favorite memory of FSP?

I remember FSP fondly. For me, the island years were memorable: it’s a pretty cool experience to go to school on an island. And the freedom that we had during the years when the school was trying to figure out who it was, for a small child was pretty cool.

Recognizing the Everyday Magic In FSP's Preschool: Jonathan Ewell and Ashley Blake Receive MePA's Educator Award

Pictured above: Preschool teaching team Jonathan Ewell (left) and Ashley Blake (right)

Trust, love, a sense of calm, and yes... wiggly lines all begin to help shape what preschool looks like at Friends School of Portland. Over FSP’s first 18 years, the preschool program has been shaped by many thoughtful and joyful teachers. This year, the Maine Psychological Association (MePA) has awarded FSP’s teaching team, Ashley Blake and Jonathan Ewell, the Maine Educator’s Excellence Award!  

MePA’s Educator Recognition Program recognizes PK-12 educators who demonstrate exceptional psychologically minded performance and a commitment to advancing positive mental and behavioral health outcomes. Ashley and Jonathan were nominated and selected for their deep knowledge of young children’s emotional needs and their high level of attunement that they bring to their work.  

FSP’s faculty and staff celebrated this award with a small gathering complete with special crowns made by third and fourth-grade students and favorite snacks joined by a member of the MePA nominating committee.  

Ashley and Jonathan shared a few of their thoughts about the acknowledgment of early childhood education by MePA and their journey to their current roles:   

Jonathan: We are honored to receive this award, especially for its recognition and validation of the importance of early childhood education in a student’s learning and development. 

Ashley: I am glad that we get to shed a light on early childhood education, and the important foundation that it sets for lifelong learning. During these early years, children build essential skills necessary for academic success. Play is their work. They construct meaning, practice skills, and lean into challenges. The magic happens when they begin to see themselves as the competent learners that they are. The aim, then, is that preschool children enter the next leg of their journey equipped with skills to tackle academic tasks, strengthened self-regulation, confidence, and a foundational love of learning. 

Jonathan: My first preschool teaching job was in a Montessori preschool in South Burlington, Vermont. I had just finished a season of apple picking and was young with a full head of hair and little idea of what to do with myself when I was invited to apply for an assistant teaching position at the school during their celebration of the color-splashing festival of Holi. The interview process largely consisted of me sitting in an undersized chair while being repeatedly blasted with tiny handfuls of colored powder and sponged paint administered by wildly enthusiastic people roughly a third of my size. Thus, a nearly 25-year career was born!

After a few years in Vermont, my partner Anne and I moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where I worked at another Montessori preschool for three years. The two schools were entirely different in setting, tone and application of Montessori principles, but the teachers in both places were all amazingly skilled, compassionate, and committed to honoring the full humanity of the students, who I learned very quickly are so much more than just “cute little kids”.  

My father is a Quaker and I grew up knowing Mary Tracy, who was getting ready to start up this little Friends School in Maine while I was still in Madison. Before long, Anne and I were back in Portland, where I interviewed and ultimately began my time at Friends School of Portland. Initially, I was FSP’s Aftercare Coordinator and Preschool Assistant with Lea Sutton, another amazingly skilled, compassionate, committed teacher! I spent several years at the school in a variety of positions, filling in where needs arose, (middle school Social Studies, Math assistant, Kindergarten co-teacher, Body Mind Spirit teacher, etc.), and wound up back in the Preschool room with Marie Reimensnyder, (still another amazing teacher and human being!), after Jonathan Rhoads and Kelsey Kobik, (yes, both incredibly amazing people and preschool teachers!) both left the same year. When Marie left, Ashley appeared and, (of course!), was and is amazingly skilled, compassionate, and deeply committed to all of our (amazing!) students and their families! 

Ashley: I didn’t set out to go into teaching. I had a different plan. In college, I took a position at an early childhood center and really fell in love with the work. Because of this, I decided to tailor my college coursework looking through an early childhood lens. I’ve never looked back.

A few years later, I took a preschool teaching position at a local private school and taught there for six years. This experience solidified my love of teaching and helped me to grow into the role. The other significant teaching experience prior to FSP was at a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool. It was there that I was introduced to Reggio Emilia-inspired education formally, although I had always viewed education similarly. Young children are competent, capable, and worthy of respect -- and the work that they do is important and valuable. When you view children, and their work, through those lenses, it becomes easy to support, extend, guide, and facilitate their learning experiences as they drive them. 

I feel lucky to be here at FSP, and to have entered into the flow of slowness, intentionality, and clarity here before me. I have learned and will continue to learn, so much from being a part of this school. I have gained a ton from this stop on my own lifelong learning journey.

Jonathan: Working together as a teaching team, Ashley and I are respectful and supportive of one another, intuitively and intentionally communicative and collaborative, and deeply appreciative and trusting of each other’s best intentions. We talk about the importance of modeling our humanness, with all of its flaws and wonders, for the students, and we share the belief that humor is an integral component of spiritual, intellectual, and social-emotional learning and development. 

Working and playing while nestled within the loving community of FSP is an incredible gift, and it is wonderful to have such positive, caring relationships between our class and the teachers, staff, parents, and older students! Extra shout out to all of our truly amazing Specials teachers and Aftercare staff!! Extra super shout-out to FSP’s natural outdoor spaces that the preschoolers inhabit for how they inspire, nurture, and guide us all!

Ashley: It can be easy to overlook the magic in the everyday. But a lot of the important teachable moments happen during transitions -- the pockets between the daily rhythm. This is where children navigate social nuance, build self-regulation, practice taking turns, learn to follow the group plan, etc. And because we are intentionally slow during these moments, the children are not rushed to move to the next step -- the next “work”. All of it is their work. And because their work is valuable and meaningful, we lean into as much of it as we can.

Plein Air Painting with Artist Deena Ball: An Invitation to the Falmouth Art Show

Pictured above: Artist, Deena Ball, working with first and second-grade students outdoors on the Falmouth Land Trust trails at Underwood Springs Forest.

First through sixth-grade students are participating in a workshop series with local artist Deena Ball in partnership with Falmouth Land Trust to document special places within the Underwood Springs Forest that Friends School of Portland abuts. The Falmouth Open Studio Tour is coming up on Saturday, November 19: student work will be displayed and our wider community will be invited for a tour! Stay tuned for details by following Falmouth Maine Open Studio Tour.

Chris Keegan: FSP's Learning Strategist

Pictured above: Learning Strategist, Chris Keegan, sitting down in Lindsay's 3-4 classroom.

Chris Keegan is FSP’s Learning Strategist. This school year marks Chris’s seventh year at Friends.

She often lends a helping hand at an all-school event, participates in the monthly Racial Justice Accountability Group conversations, or sits down with a family to puzzle through supports that might be needed for a student. Even so, you might not yet have had the pleasure of meeting Chris. 

Here’s a little bit more about Chris in her own words. 

What it was like to transition to your role at Friends School of Portland?:

It was scary because I was leaving a community that I loved. I had already decided to retire from my administrative position when a teacher told me about the opening at Friends School. The job description for FSP’s Learning Strategist position sounded like just the right fit for me because it included an intentional culture of inquiry and collaboration and the opportunity to support students, families and teachers within a smaller, more intimate setting. I was excited to be part of a community with such a clearly defined culture and a commitment to Quaker values. 

When my own kids were in elementary school I took a job as an ed tech at Jack Elementary School on Munjoy Hill and then moved to Reiche Elementary School on the other side of town. At Reiche, I was a special education teacher for Kindergarten - Grade 5. In the public school setting principals turn over on average every five years and we believed that a teacher-led school would be a more stable environment for students and staff. It was an arduous process involving the union, the school department, and the legislature but in 2011, Reiche moved from having a traditional principal to being a teacher-led school and I shifted into a Lead Teacher role. 

What is it like to work now at Friends School in your seventh year?: 

Honestly? It's awesome! This is a kind, respectful, and intentional community. It’s a safe space whether you are a student, a teacher, or a parent. It’s OK if you don’t have all the answers because there are others willing to help you figure out the puzzle, whatever that puzzle might be. 

I appreciate that staff and parents make time to have real conversations with one another and with students. The conversations that take place in classrooms about things that are important to students, from the selection of after school snacks to a friend’s feelings to foxes to Wabanaki history or what’s happening in the Middle East, are astounding. Teachers are very intentional about modeling civil discourse and grounding the classroom culture in the SPICES. 

When not at Friends School, what are you up to? 

 I like to be outside – on the water or in the woods. I love having free time and I like to savor the season. Last summer I took a train trip across Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver, and then down to Los Angeles. I grew up outside of Philadelphia riding the train to and from school and I always wanted to do a longer train trip. I was set on getting to the Vancouver Museum of Anthropology and then finishing at the Zen Center of Los Angeles to visit one of my sisters.

An Invitation to Think Deeply: A School-Wide Faculty Focus on Inquiry

Pictured above: Morse Elementary School teacher (and former FSP teacher) Aja Stephan leading a morning workshop.

Each school year, FSP’s faculty and staff decide together and work on a school-wide goal. Social Studies and Science Through the Lenses of Inquiry and Equity/Anti Bias Education, Friends Council Renewal Process, and Writing are all examples of school-wide goals in the last 5 years. Faculty and staff are diving in and digging into the foundational work of Inquiry this school year.  

To begin, FSP hosted a conference focused on the practice of inquiry in teaching. The queries that opened the day of teacher-led workshops included:  

How does inquiry in teaching practice connect with listening?

How does inquiry in teaching practice connect with justice?

How does inquiry in teaching practice connect with liberatory practice?

Nell, Director of Studies, invited faculty and visiting educators to think big and to think deep as the framework of the day. The morning also centered on defining inquiry as both deductive and appreciative. Deductive inquiry means that the answer is out in the world and can be found. And appreciate inquiry refers to David Cooperrider and Diane Whitney’s Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change:

“Inquiry and change are not separate moments but are simultaneous. Inquiry is intervention. The seeds of change -- the things people think and talk about, the things people discover and learn, the things that inform dialogue and inspire images of the future -- are implicit in the very first questions we ask…”

Different workshops were led by FSP faculty and visiting educators including:  

•  Approaching Inquiry In Our Early Childhood Classrooms with a Reggio Emila Gaze

• Using the C3 Inquiry Model to Create Interdisciplinary Inquiries

• Inquiring Minds: Cultivating Inquisitive Self-Talk

• Math Inquiry: Layering the Groundword for Inquiry In Math and Beyond

• Immersive Experiences to Foster Inquiry in Kindergarten and Middle School Social Studies

• Writing Practices that Keep Your Professional Questions Alive

• Inquiry and Making Thinking Visible

• Storytelling in Circle

• Nature of Inquiry Puzzle 

As the day wrapped up teachers enjoyed s’mores, mocktails, and conversation. Reflections of the day offer a way to enter into the work of “Inquiry” more deeply this school year.  

A few reflections:

• I want to lean into the fact that emergence is central to inquiry. What is rising, where are things going, and then build from there. 

• I went into leading a session thinking “I get to be confused.” But as I went on I found that rooting in what I know helped me ask questions. 

• As much as I want to teach stuff, I want it to be the right stuff. I need to stop and examine my own assumptions. 

• As an early childhood educator, I can take so much from thinking about other age groups - elementary on up through middle school. 

This is just the beginning of diving into our school-wide goal for this year…more soon! 

Quaker Life Committee: Lifting Up the Testimonies of Equality and Stewardship

Pictured above: Quaker Life Committee and seventh and eighth-grade students thinking around three of the Quaker values, as we sat with elevating a pair this school year.

The Quaker Life Committee (QLC) is a small group of board members, faculty, and staff that meet monthly to support Quakerism at Friends School. Among many aspects of Quakerism at FSP, the committee discusses ways to support and scaffold weekly all-school Meeting for Worship. 

It is a common practice at Friends Schools across the world to choose a testimony a year to lift up. Last year, the QLC recommended that we try choosing a Quaker testimony pairing to delve into, school-wide. This year, the QLC has brought forward a new testimony pairing through a slightly different process.

At times, the QLC has had students be a part of the committee. To include student voices in the process this year, seventh and eighth-grade students were invited to join the testimony planning conversation. Stewardship had risen as a value to elevate during faculty conversations. This year, there is a new faculty Environmental Action Committee and we are in the second year of a planned shift from Physical Education to Physical and Stewardship Education. With the hiring of a new (first-ever) Facilities Director, David Mahaney, stewardship is indeed top of mind at FSP.

As we ponder how to teach about stewardship beyond picking up belongings and trash (which in itself is valuable too!), seventh and eighth-grade students were invited to consider another testimony to pair with stewardship. Equality and Peace both rose in exciting ways to think about Stewardship as not just picking up trash when you see it. Over more than one conversation, many students began to think of Equality and Peace as two very important values and that it might be too hard to choose between them. It took multiple conversations to deliberate on what we might want to elevate and to remind ourselves that choosing to elevate one value does not discount another. Ultimately, members of the QLC were trusted to think through and make a decision.

The testimonies that rose were Equality and Stewardship. 

Two queries that resonate with this pairing as we begin the school year are:

Do my actions help to create a world where everyone is treated with dignity?

How do I balance my individual needs with the needs of the world around me? 

New Forests to Explore: A Generous Gift of Land

We are thrilled to share that we have received a generous gift of land. Over the last year, our neighbors Christina Cinelli and Jim Wilkerson have worked with us to donate 2.2 acres of land that abuts our property. 

The gift is official which means that our campus has grown to 23.2 acres, expanding our kindergarten outdoor classroom area. Recently, the kindergarten class and their seventh-grade buddies walked the new property lines and wrote down what they were grateful for in the forest. We look forward to welcoming Christina and Jim for a morning assembly to share our appreciation.

Know, Wonder, Learn: A Study of Insects

Both classes of first and second-grade students are beginning the school year investigating insects in our forests. Xanthe's class recently spent a few sunny mornings in the forest collecting insects using "pooters." Students determined that all insects have six legs but that not every six-legged arthropod is an insect. It was helpful to find bugs that were not insects to refine the definition of an insect.

Students then looked more closely at the physical characteristics of insects and some of the adaptations that help insects survive. Some of the questions students asked based on their observations were:

Why do beetles have hairs (setae) on their legs?

Why are insects different colors?

Why are insects small?

Why are there so many insects?

Their study of insects continued with a visit from Falmouth Land Trust Educator, Rebecca Dugan, who led students on a hike through Underwood Springs Forest. Students looked for signs of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), and its presence on Ash trees on the property. Using paper strips, Rebecca demonstrated how invasive species take hold in an ecosystem.

We look forward to hearing more from these curious first and second-grade students as their observations lead to more learning.

Equity Assessment at FSP

Pictured above: First faculty meeting with consultant, Dustin Ward, talking through the content and calendar of what the Equity Assessment will look like at Friends School this year.

To create a sense of belonging, there is work we actively participate in each day. Over the course of our history, Friends School of Portland has made important headway in our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice work. We’ve reflected on program, policies, and procedures, and accessed experts like Liza Talusan and White People Confronting Racism for parent workshops and faculty professional development. Retired FSP staff member and grandparent, Linda Ashe-Ford worked within the early childhood development team and brought to fruition a Families of Color Affinity group.  

Throughout this journey, we long ago recognized that we would benefit from a more thorough equity audit. While we’ve done internal work, we have come to realize that external facilitation as a next step will help us gather and analyze data that will further help us understand how inclusive we are as a school, how our belonging work feels to all members of our community, and how we are seen in the wider community. 

As a predominantly white institution, we have sought out a professional who would bring an outside lens and push us past our habits of mind as we tackle these large questions. We sought a facilitator who is local and understands the nuances of our area; someone with experience leading equity work in schools; and someone who understands and connects with our faith-based values.

With the support of our community’s Strategic Plan, FSP’s board, and a grant from the Obadiah Brown Benevolent Fund, we took steps this summer to begin working with Dustin Ward of It is Time Consulting.

Here is an overview of the shape of the collaborative equity assessment this year:

Stage 1: Discovery

Dustin started his work with us in August by diving into a wealth of information to orient himself to our practices at FSP: a very full Google Drive folder, a tour of FSP, and early meetings with members of faculty and the administrative team. Since then, Dustin joined both a faculty meeting and a board meeting to give an overview of the year and to facilitate conversations around two questions: What is Equity? and Who is our community? 

Stage 2: Data Collection

As part of the next stage of the process, over the next five months, Dustin will be gathering information and stories. Dustin plans to lead three different community conversations. One conversation will be with our current and recent school community, in conjunction with our February State of the School. Another conversation will be with organizations and groups we are already connected with. A third conversation will be with community members who are less familiar with FSP but whom we want to be better connected with. 

Another portion of Dustin’s data will come through surveys. There will be an online survey that you can expect by late November. Current students will participate in a simple developmentally appropriate survey during a school day (similar to our strategic plan and accreditation surveys). Dustin also plans to be available for small group or individual meetings – both with current students and community members. This will include two days when Dustin is available to students on campus: out at recess, coordinating with classrooms, and being available to hear more about student and faculty experiences. There will be two days for one-on-one meetings with community members interested in speaking with Dustin — we expect that those conversations will be held close to FSP but offsite.  

As we move through this stage we are seeking to answer questions such as these:

What is the range of experience of going to or working at FSP?

What would attract students or faculty from various backgrounds?

What would we need to shift to better serve students or faculty from various backgrounds?

How are we seen in the broader community, and does it match how we want to be seen?

Stage 3: Final Recommendations

In the spring, Dustin will synthesize and analyze these layers of gathered information. Faculty, staff, students, families, and board members will have a chance to engage with these recommendations at that time. 

We will update our website with various benchmarks of this Equity Assessment journey this year. If you are interested in participating or lending your voice, we hope you will keep your eye out for the survey and reach out for the best way to participate.

Cross Country Highlight from Sara Primo

A parent of a seventh-grade student mentioned to me this afternoon that cross country captures everything they love most about FSP: the way people support each other trying so hard; how good it feels to be outside together. “At every meet, I’m overflowing with love.”

It made me think of a conversation with a parent of a 2009 graduate who shared: 

“These experiences were beneficial in two ways for my daughter. Middle schoolers engage with one another and potentially make new friends before entering high school -- which was exactly what happened... making that transition seamless, she went into high school with new-found friends.  And it helped with meeting and engaging with middle schoolers from throughout the region." 

Seven weeks into the cross-country season, it is so much fun to hear students talk about their experience so far:

“April always makes it fun. I like how April pushes us. So many hard things that we don’t want to do, we later think were super fun.”

“I like feeling encouraged and feeling like I did a good job.”

“I love the community aspect – getting to spend time with my friends… And then when you’re done with your race, you can turn around immediately and cheer on others. And you know what that’s like because you know how hard it is.”

Equity Audit: Looking Ahead To The Process This School Year

We are grounded in our Quaker values, and we know that values on their own are not enough.

To create a sense of belonging, there is work we actively participate in each day. Over the course of our history, Friends School of Portland has made important headway in our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice work. We’ve reflected on program, policies, and procedures, and accessed experts like Liza Talusan for workshops and support. 

Throughout that journey, we long ago recognized that we would benefit from a more thorough equity audit. While we’ve done internal work, all along we knew external facilitation would help us gather and analyze data that would further help us understand how inclusive we are as a school, how our belonging work feels to all members of our community, and how we are seen in the wider community. 

Pictured above: Dustin Ward of It Is Time Consulting.   

As a predominantly white institution, we have sought out a professional who would bring an outside lens and push us past our habits of mind as we tackle these large questions. We are thrilled to share that this year we have hired Dustin Ward of “It is Time” to lead us in a collaborative equity audit. Dustin comes with experience working with area schools, deep knowledge of the area, and a background in faith-based leadership.  

Here is an overview of the shape of the collaborate equity audit this year:

Dustin will guide us through three stages of the year. The first stage, Discovery, is one in which faculty, staff, and board members will be oriented to the project and have a chance to contribute their questions. Dustin has started to receive information that will provide more context, including past reports such as our NEASC re-accreditation report and our Friends Council Self Study. He will be meeting with our faculty this Friday, and meeting with our board at their September board meeting.

Later this fall, the second stage, Data Collection, will be a time for in-person community discussions and online surveys. We will have more to share soon about ways you can lend your voice to this audit.

By May, we will be able to share what takeaways and next steps have emerged in the third stage, Final Recommendations.

Thank you to the Obadiah Brown’s Benevolent Fund’s generous grant that has helped FSP make this important and long-anticipated investment. You can view below a little more information from Dustin. And stay tuned for more information, coming later this month.