BFS Colleagues Return for New School Year
It’s as if the weather knew BFS was going to be welcoming its colleagues back to school. As the morning temperatures outside fully felt like fall, inside 375 Pearl Street and 116 Lawrence Street, there was a true warmth as colleagues reconnected with one another. The joy of reuniting and reenergizing for the year ahead was truly inspiring
On Monday and Tuesday, Brooklyn Friends played host to its newest colleagues (group photo above) across all Learning Communities and Departments. Appropriately, the first thing that Head of School Crissy Cáceres imparted to the group was the power and purpose of a moment of silence. In true Quaker tradition, she reminded us how this simple yet profound practice strengthens our sense of community and helps us center ourselves as we begin this new journey together. “The good news is you never contextualize your right to have (a moment of silence),” she said. “You just need to tap into your right to have it.”
Crissy went on to share all things BFS—and powerfully outlined all of the great initiatives that our school is currently focusing on, stressing our Strategic Vision and our school’s pillars. Following Crissy’s powerful presentation, new colleagues had the opportunity to dive into the heart of our school’s identity. They engaged in meaningful sessions led by BFS leaders—Assistant Head of School Suzie Matthews shared insights on our Quaker roots, Dr. AnaMaria Correa, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, discussed the significance of our DEB pillar, and Kevin Murungi, Director of Global Social Impact, explored our commitment to global engagement. Through these sessions, our new team members connected with these guiding principles and learned how they shape our daily community life.
On Wednesday, all colleagues were back at school, and were treated to a rousing opening presentation from Crissy, who focused on—the pigeons of Pearl Street. However, her message about pigeons went much deeper than our actual small feathered friends here in Downtown Brooklyn. As only our Head of School can do, she contextualized the true strength that pigeons have had in our history to the important work that is being done at BFS today. “My greatest hope is that we remember with agency and choice to lean on the goodness of what’s possible,” Crissy said.
Over the next week and a half, BFS colleagues will be working tirelessly to prepare for the 2024–2025 school year. Learning Communities, facilities, dining, human resources, finance, technology, advancement, safety and security, communications, and athletics are all getting ready. By the time we welcome our students back to school, we are quite certain that year number 127 for BFS will be one its best yet! We are just happy you are along for the ride!
Be on the lookout for the first issue of The Weekly, which will land in your inbox on Sunday morning, Sept. 1!