The
Whittier Miscellany
Holiday Issue 2025 • Wilmington Friends School’s Community Newspaper • Wilmington, DE
Leveling the Digital Field: A New Policy for Equal Tech Restrictions Ellie McQuillan ‘28 Staff Writer
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n late October, Head of Upper School J.R. Neiswender sent an email announcing that the school is considering expanding the filtering system to juniors’ and seniors’ technology. As the current freshmen and sophomores transitioned to high school, filtering systems remained on their computers from middle school, restricting access to inappropriate sites and to most social media platforms and entertainment applications. Implementing the filtering system across the high school creates equality, ensuring that the school is consistent with how students use their technology, which is intended for educational purposes. Friends students receive computers as early as fourth grade, but why have restrictions only now reached all high school students? Mr. Neiswender says, “[The school] originally planned to just start [the filtering] with the Class of
2028, but it now seemed appropriate for all grades to have these restrictions extended to them.” Discussions about shifting the filtering system started in the 2024-2025 school year. “Mr. Miller brought this up to me last fall, showing me all of the filter capabilities, but I was still settling in; this school year seemed like the appropriate time to implement it,” Mr. Neiswender says. Mr. Miller showcased the benefits of a filtering system for the entire high school; thus, the school purchased an external filtering service for the middle and high school, which blocks sites and applications upon the school’s request. However, the announcement of this new policy has worried some upperclassmen, who value their technological freedoms. Justin Hutchful ‘27, one of the junior class representatives, says, “In free periods, once they’ve completed their work, juniors want the ability to watch Netflix and YouTube.”
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Darren Williams on his computer. Photo: Morgan Kim ‘27
A Season To Remember: 2025 Fall Sports at Why We Feel Different During Winter Abby Terrell ‘27 Staff Writer among many people here at Wilmington WFS Friends, as shorter days and reduced sunThe sun sets before dinner, the air bites at your skin, and suddenly, even getting out of bed feels harder than it used to. People tend to feel different during the winter months– why is that? Sky Hopkins ‘27 believes that her ambition lowers during winter. She expresses, “When it gets dark earlier, it’s definitely harder to stay motivated because the sun goes down earlier. When it’s dark out, it’s like nighttime, so you don’t really have motivation.” Her feelings are common
Blaire Princilus ‘29 Staff Writer Fall is often regarded as the best school season. From homecoming to Halloween, and even back-to-school shopping, it’s hard to argue that it’s not a great time of year. The most exciting aspect to many students, to no surprise, is sports. From thrilling Friday night football games to after-school cross-country meets, there’s excitement for everyone, whether one is playing or watching. Furthermore, the recent fall sports season at WFS was one that’s hard to forget. Sports offered at WFS during the fall include girls’ volleyball, field hockey, football, boys’ soccer, and cross country, each with its own exciting moments, highlights, and unforgettable records. Girls’ volleyball led a steady season with a 7-8 record for the varsity team. JV followed closely with an 8-5 record, and the 3rd team with a total of 7 losses. Leyla Medford ‘26, one of the captains for the volleyball team, described the team as “really united,” and that each game exhibited “great energy,” from each of the girls. Some
light can affect mood, energy, and motivation levels. On the contrary, Ben Osbourn ‘26 believes that he has more motivation during winter. He argues, “Getting through midterms is like the highlight of my year because you feel so good after you’ve finished the last day of two tests.”
Photo: WFS Athletics Facebook of the most exciting moments for Medford ‘26 included beating St. Andrews and the team bonding experience during preseason, which included activities such as a water balloon fight and a pool party. Medford ‘26 explains, “Outside of practice is where you find the most bonding time for the team.” In all, the volleyball team led an exciting season for the school to appreciate, and demonstrated great sportsmanship and growth from August to October.
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Seasonal Depression. Photo: Morgan Kim ‘27
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