Message from Bo

Welcome to our website and the 2022-2023 academic year. We are happy that you are interested in Friends Seminary, and we are eager to share more with you about who we are—a 237-year-old academic institution that continues to grow, expand and adapt to the needs of its students.

Founded in 1786, almost concurrently with the founding of our country, Friends has remained a steady beacon of education and values in New York City. As we celebrate this long-standing commitment, we are mindful of our responsibility to continually nurture and grow our school, to preserve our values and to ensure that our program prepares our students for a rapidly changing, interconnected world.

 

We are fortunate this year to welcome 792 students from 105 zip codes to our community: a new record high for enrollment! Our students are supported by 178 dedicated faculty and administrative staff members. Students and faculty alike were eager to get back to campus in September, and the warmth and sense of community were as palpable as ever. Check out this video for scenes of our first day.

Throughout the pandemic, the School has—and will continue to—put health and safety at the forefront of the student experience. But this time has taught us much about the social and emotional needs of our students as well. In response, we have added a new Health and Wellness course to the ninth grade curriculum, and have centralized the all-school experience around advisory in Grades 5-12. There are also critical new personnel—two new Psychologists, bringing the School to one Psychologist per division—who bring not only their academic credentials to their jobs, but also a proven record of care and concern for students.

 

We have been busy not only planning for how we and our students can come together in 2022-2023, but also how we and they can thrive in new and different ways. It gives me immense satisfaction to see our School flourish and continue to reach for its best future. 

 

I hope you enjoy exploring our website and that your curiosity about our school will continue to increase as a result. It would be our pleasure to answer any questions you may have about the Friends experience, no matter what grade you may be exploring. Please don’t hesitate to contact our admissions office if we can be of assistance.

 

In the meantime, I wish you health and happiness.