Friends Seminary educates students in grades K-12, under the care of the New York Quarterly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Through instruction and example, students follow their curiosity and exercise their imaginations as they develop as scholars, artists and athletes.
In a community that cultivates the intellect through keen observation, critical thinking and coherent expression, we strive to respond to one another, valuing the single voice as well as the effort to reach consensus. The disciplines of silence, study and service provide the matrix for growth: silence opens us to change; study helps us to know the world; service challenges us to put our values into practice. At Friends Seminary, education occurs within the context of the Quaker belief in the Inner Light _ that of God in every person.
Service is integral to Friends Seminarys educational mission, along with the disciplines of study and silence. Our Community Service Program strives to instill a sense of stewardship of school community and respect for responsibility to our urban neighborhood and beyond. By providing opportunities within the curriculum and in other relevant activities for students to witness and understand the needs of others, we hope to prepare them for a life that includes service. Our goal is to integrate knowledge and undertaking with compassion and social responsibility. Only through reflection and understanding the need to put our values into practice will students be able to grasp the importance of the gift of caring for each other, for all humanity, and for the natural world.
The educational programs at Friends reach beyond the classroom walls, promoting a broad liberal arts education in the context of preparing our students for the world that ought to be. The curriculum challenges students at the highest levels, pushing them to take intellectual and creative risks, while demanding both a depth of thought and clarity of expression. The visual and performing arts work in tandem with the traditional academic disciplines to achieve these goals. Our commitment to experiential education encourages students to put their learning into action through our wilderness programs, opportunities to study abroad, community service projects, student publications, Day of Concern, as well as programs such as Model UN and Mock Trial _ just to name a few. Our highly successful athletic program teaches the value of teamwork and sportsmanship, in addition to traditional hard work, commitment, and perseverance. Perhaps most significantly, we gather twice per week as an Upper School community for Silent Meeting in our historic Quaker Meetinghouse; here students, faculty, and administration share silence and reflections that inform our evolving awareness.
