"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."

News and Multimedia Archive

2024

  • February

    Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker on the Fight for Literary Freedom


    In recent years, more than 5,000 books — in particular, books like "Beloved," "Maus," and "Gender Queer" that focus on marginalized communities — have been removed from school districts around the US, and made unavailable to millions of students. Concerned about the impact this has on children, acclaimed producer Sheila Nevins who at the age of 84 is making her directorial debut – responded with “The ABCs of Book Banning,” which has been nominated this year for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. The film centers the voices of young readers, revealing their poignant insights on the dangers of book banning and their feelings about the outsized impact it will have on their access to reading material of all kinds. 

    On Friday, February 23 The Center for Peace, Equity, and Justice (CPEJ) welcomed Nevins to the Upper School for a screening of “The ABC’s of Book Banning,” followed by a conversation moderated by Ruby ‘27 and Sam ‘26. During the screening, the audience was introduced to 101-year-old Grace Linn as she squared off against the Martin County School Board for banning 84 books, including The Storyteller, a novel about the Holocaust that chronicles the growth of anti-Semitism and fascism in Nazi Germany. According to officials, this book ban was the district’s effort to comply with a Florida Department of Education directive as part of the implementation of the 2022 House Bill 1467. Linn is a symbol that “it’s never too late to do anything,” Nevins divulged. “She never says ‘I can’t.’”

    Many of the books that have been restricted or banned that are highlighted in the documentary are books that have homes in the CPEJ and Friends Seminary Libraries, including Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb,” Art Spiegleman’s Maus, The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas and children’s picture book And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson. 


    Nevins ended the assembly by taking questions from the audience on her research and creative process. “Ban nothing, discuss everything,” Nevins explained.

    Afterward, students gathered in the CPEJ classroom during lunch to write letters to government officials about book banning laws across the country. 

    CPEJ is grateful to parent Liza Barnett Fefferman (a producer on the documentary) for bringing Sheila and her film to Friends. 

    A true force in the world of filmmaking, Sheila currently serves as Executive Producer for MTV Documentary Films. Prior to joining MTV, she was the President of HBO Documentary Films and Family Programming credited with having created the documentary genre. The New York Times has called Sheila “the grande dame of documentary” and she’s won a staggering 32 Emmys – the most of ANY individual as well as 26 Academy Awards. Sheila has also received the Women in Film’s Lucy Award for her outstanding achievements in advancing documentary filmmaking and the National Board of Review Humanitarian Award for her contribution to the advancement of social reforms and the promotion of human welfare through film.
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  • Fast Friends: Global Language Exchange Program Fosters Deep Connection Between Students

    In today’s rapidly changing and increasingly interconnected world, Friends is dedicated to interdisciplinary programming founded in open dialogue, deep connection, and knowledge-sharing. To teach these important global competencies, Kara Kutner, Director of the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice, is spearheading a new approach to global education on 16th Street. 

    This past fall, the School welcomed five exchange students from Colegio Sant Ignasi in Barcelona, Spain. These intrepid students were hosted by students Ayla ’26, Bode ’26, Clara ’26, Jeff ’26, Jane ’25, and Safira ’26 and their families. Visiting students enjoyed Upper School classes and immersed themselves in the Friends community and traditions like the God’s Love We Deliver bag decorating event, Meeting for Worship, and the Thanksgiving assembly. Students also visited Leading, the new James Turrell skyspace, providing a spiritual setting conducive to silence and contemplation.

    They also took in many of the City’s cultural attractions with a trip to the United Nations, a Circle Line cruise, a visit to the Statue of Liberty, holiday ice skating at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and an evening of theater watching Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway. Exchange students also spent the Thanksgiving holiday with their American counterparts.

    Kara and her counterpart in Spain worked diligently to find the most compatible pairings that would support each other fully. One of those pairings was placing Carlota with Jane ’25 and her family. For Carlota and Jane, this new Spanish Language Exchange program provided an exceptional opportunity for friendship and formal and informal learning opportunities both in and outside of the classroom. Not new to exchange programs—she studied in Ireland as well—Carlota noted the distinct difference in the programs and the care in connecting her with a host family. Carolota saw a “big sister” in Jane. 

    “My dream has always been to study in New York,” Carlota explains. She was keen to attend an American school and fully enjoyed her full Friends’ schedule of English, Chemistry, Algebra, History and Visual Arts classes.

    Next month Jane will travel with five other Friends to reside with their host families, attend school daily at Colegio Sant Ignasi, explore the amazing city of Barcelona and work to hone their proficiency in Spanish. 

    Jane explains “Attending school there will be a new and different experience unlike anything I’ve done before, and a good way to improve my Spanish.” Jane is an avid language enthusiast. In addition to her French classes at Friends, she continues her life-long study of Spanish outside of the School, visiting Chile last summer as an effort to build her intercultural competencies and language proficiency. 

    Reflecting on the success of the program so far, Kara shares, “It has been really impressive to see how both the Sant Ignasi and Friends Seminary students are not only experiencing language immersion and cultural exchange, but really learning to lean into the challenges of this kind of experience—especially at the start—with open minds and generous hearts.”
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  • January

    Student Activists Address United Nations

     


    Activists and Friends students Reza ’24, Elinor ’24 and Jahzara ’25 are at the forefront of positive change past 16th Street. 

    They are members of the Youth for Equity and Solidarity Council (YES Council), the NYC Commission on Human Rights’ council of young leaders who are interested in working on human rights issues in New York City. They work alongside other young leaders to advise the Commission on how to expand engagement with young people and help guide youth programming and events by providing feedback on workshops and trainings, informing the Commission of issues and incidents related to bias and discrimination, and planning youth-related events. Their hope is to build long-term engagement with young people interested in and committed to the mission of the NYC Commission on Human Rights, and to empower young people to become actively engaged in fostering environments of inclusion and respect. 

    On Wednesday, December 6 the United Nations celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The celebration featured the three students, and their fellow peers were able to attend their presentations alongside other members of the YES Council. Topics ranged from addressing mental health to educational inequity. 

    Jahzara ‘25 explains, “Children shouldn’t have to change for the system. The system should change for them.”
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Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.

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Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.