An anti-racism public school reformer speaks frankly about being BFS’ first African-American K-12 student, and of a lifetime spent bucking tradition. “I remember being the only person of color. My hair was different. I remember a boy telling me I was dirty. I remember that I hated Dick and Jane. This was before the updated version. […]
He started out writing about the Supreme Court for BFS’ former student newspaper The Life. It spawned a decades-long career covering the court up close for the Boston Globe and the Wall Street Journal, and his co-authorship of the acclaimed book Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion. Stephen Wermiel ’68 seemed delighted on November 19th to be back at […]
Class of 1966 alumnus Lawrence Madlock, MD, went to segregated schools in Memphis, Tennessee, and entered BFS as a junior in 1964 “under some strange circumstances.” He returned to BFS under even stranger circumstances during the Vietnam war, and later experienced war and famine in Ethiopia. After completing medical school and his internship, he returned […]
Boston literary agent Jill Kneerim continues launching the careers of heavy-hitting journalists, novelists, poets, scholars and short story writers who have won the Pulitzer Prize and other major awards, but she remains an active alum in the BFS community. “BFS and all other schools in the ’50s were pretty dull places by comparison to what’s […]
A strong sense of purpose, the importance of staying true to oneself, and the value of asking the right questions characterized commencement exercises for the Class of 2015, held on June 9 at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. The three student commencement speakers – Louisa Grenham ’15, Giovanna Molina ’15, and Bisa McDuffie-Thurmond […]
In the Upper School, Physics Teacher Travis Merritt has joined the 3-D printing exploration with infectious enthusiasm Travis Merritt’s gadget-filled science lab now boasts a MakerBot 3-D printer. “It’s in an early stage. Right now it’s just one more tool available to students.” Travis teaches IB Physics to juniors and seniors and Conceptual Physics to […]
The Middle School continues integrating technology into the curriculum in ingenious new ways, among them taking part in the global “Hour of Code” movement. In addition to directing academic technology for Kindergarten through Grade 12, Elizabeth (Liz) Harnage has been the Middle School’s Academic Technology Integrator for the past six years. Liz teaches fifth through […]
IT’s Everywhere Innovative thinking from the school’s Information Technology (IT) staff, along with a recent push from a philanthropic parent, continue to move BFS forward in bold, new directions. Over the past several years, technological experimentation and innovation have become the norm in many schools across the country. The changes are evident at BFS, too, […]
On June 17, 2015, Upper School students Abby M (Class of 2016) and Emmitt S (Class of 2017) accompanied Director of Service Learning & Civic Engagement Natania Kremer (CUSSW Class of 2007) to present to an Advocacy class for graduate students at the Columbia University School of Social Work. Abby and Emmitt shared about their […]
The culminating experience for our 10th Grade Service & Justice Seminar: Exploring Parallel Struggles with C.A.R.E. (Community, Accountability, Reciprocity, Equity) is a New Orleans immersion experience during the first week of June. We partner with the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal as we examine power and privilege in the context of service. […]
The 9th Grade End-of-Year experience was based in Brooklyn and focused on service learning and civic engagement in various communities in our borough. Students learned more context about the history of activism in Brooklyn and engaged with community partners doing meaningful work on a range of issues: Black Veterans for Social Justice provides assistance to […]
Congratulations to the following colleges and universities! You’re welcoming a Brooklyn Friends School graduate into your Class of 2019. Allegheny College Bard College Barnard College Bennington College Binghamton University Brandeis University Bucknell University Carleton College Colorado College DePaul University Dickinson College Eckerd College Emerson College Eugene Lang College, The New School for the Arts Ithaca […]
