QUAKER LIFE & EDUCATION
A Message from Lisa McEachron
INTERIM DIRECTOR OF QUAKER LIFE & EDUCATION
Dear SFFS Community,
A Quaker education is an extraordinary education. I’m thrilled to be guiding Quaker Life and Education at SFFS where my focus is animating and elevating our Quaker values and practices within our community. It has been a purposeful and meaningful shift in my work at SFFS, after a wonderful career teaching Lower School Physical Education for sixteen years. SFFS has deepened my own appreciation of Quakerism through many wonderful professional development opportunities over the years and I’m excited to share a few notable projects that we’ve embarked on this school year. These projects include regrounding ourselves in the purpose and practice of Meeting for Worship, the Walk of Change shoe drive, and the Power of Goodness workshops in Lower School.
In friendship, Lisa
Meeting for Worship
CREATING AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE
At the start of the school year, we brought students, faculty and staff together to reground ourselves in traditional Meeting for Worship practices with the goal of creating an authentic experience for all members of our community. Meeting for Worship is a uniquely Quaker practice where everyone is invited to sit quietly, not in "prayer" in a formal sense, but in silent and thoughtful reflection. In this way, students and teachers can open their minds and hearts to larger questions and concerns sometimes overlooked in the busy parts of our lives. Students and teachers are encouraged to speak to the gathered community, when moved to do so. This shared practice of silent reflection is central to the life of the school and can be a remarkably powerful and transformative experience.
"Vocationdoesnotcomefromavoice'outthere' callingmetobecomesomethingIamnot.Itcomes fromavoice'inhere'callingmetobethepersonI wasborntobe..."-ParkerPalmer
We visited Lower School classrooms and attended Middle School Morning Meetings to talk about Meeting for Worship. In Lower School, we read a story about Meeting for Worship and practiced going to the Meeting Room and entering silently.
We also added 8th grade advisories, on a monthly rotation, to lead Community Meeting for Worship as greeters and query readers. Each advisory derives a unique query to announce at the Meeting each month. It’s been great seeing our 8th graders in this role of thoughtful stewardship, and creating another space for their voices to be heard.
There’s been a notable difference as students demonstrate a renewed sense of commitment to the power of stillness and contemplative silence during Meeting for Worship. There’s a palpable sense of calm when we gather and a stronger sense of community as we deepen this Quaker practice together.
Walk of Change Shoe Drive
CHANGING LIVES ONE PAIR OF SHOES AT A TIME
Sergio Cotom, an alumnus from our very first class (Class of 2011), started Walk of Change two years ago, committing to 30 children in a rural town in Guatemala to provide shoes until they turn 18 years old. Sergio’s connection to the SPICES, and his commitment to serving others, started when he was a student at SFFS. Sergio spoke to the entire Middle School about his organization and gave a powerful presentation.
Our students learned that some children do not attend school because they are ashamed to not have shoes. Foot infections are prevalent in this region, as walking barefoot on dirt roads can cause injury, and if not treated can stunt a child’s growth.
Third grade partnered with Sergio for an all-school shoe drive supporting Walk of Change, which was their service project this year. Third grade student ambassadors spoke to all the Lower School classes about the shoe drive, created posters, helped design a logo for stickers that were handed out to those who donated shoes, and sorted over 500 pairs of shoes collected during the two-day shoe drive! The shoes recently arrived in Guatemala and will soon be distributed.
“Thesmallestactofkindnessisworthmorethanthegrandestintention.”–OscarWilde
The Power of Goodness
SFFS ALUMNI FACILITATE QUAKER-INSPIRED WORKSHOPS AT SFFS
Two alumni, Olivia Aguirre (Class of 2017) and Emma Chongo (Class of 2019), participated in a Friends Peace Teams program last year through Haverford College where they facilitated Power of Goodness workshops for children in Indonesia.
Friends Peace Teams go to various countries around the world that have experienced war, trauma, and poverty. Volunteers work in local communities to teach non-violence, social justice and healing, guided by Quaker principles and practices.
Olivia and Emma received training on how to lead the Power of Goodness workshops which derives its curriculum from the Friends Peace Team’s Alternatives to Violence Project, a global network of volunteers who run workshops for anyone committed to peaceful conflict resolution and non-violence. Then, through the Friends Peace Teams program, they were sent to some of the local schools in Indonesia, where they taught these workshops to students from preschool through elementary school.
It was a very impactful experience for both of them and they decided they wanted to bring this work to SFFS this year. Our first round of these workshops with the Lower School happened in January, and we will be doing one more round in the spring. Each workshop has a theme, a story, an activity, discussion, and reflection. Kindergarten’s theme was friendship, and first through 4th grades theme was “Your Conscience”.
All of these alumni are an inspiration to our community, and are examples of how a Friends education can influence one’s life. We are so proud of Sergio, Olivia, and Emma for the work
