Abington Friends School

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“ AFS is a school that recognizes each student as an

individual and stretches them to the limits of their abilities,

while still helping them grow as creative and social

members of the world they inhabit.”

— AFS Parent

T H E A F ST H E A F S

school of thought

In a culture of intellectual and creative 

ambition, we expect our students to

achieve great things. And they do. What

sets us apart is that this high-achievement 

environment is also a joyful, spirited place. 

At AFS we know and appreciate our students

for who they are, and we skillfully guide

them with a vision for who they may become.

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WE MAKE TIME FOR MEANING & REFLECTION.

Why it matters | The ability to think clearly, to take time to refl ect

and discern the meaning of information, is essential in a world where

vast stores of knowledge and data are just a click away. Making sense

of new information, especially from multiple perspectives, and being

able to collaborate and communicate that meaning to others are

foundational skills.

How we do it | The valuable lesson of refl ection is threaded into

our students’ experience through collaborative decision-making and

Quaker Meeting for Worship, a practice at the center of Quaker life

and also a part of our school week. Graduates often remark on their

ability to sit in silence and take the time to think things through,

to be thoughtful, not reactive, and to speak only when their voice

will improve the dialogue.

WE ARE DIVERSE & RELEVANT.

Why it matters | Tomorrow’s leaders must be able to explore

ideas in creative ways that spark new thinking and new possibilities.

They will have to orchestrate multiple points of view and effectively

synthesize information in a rapidly changing global environment.

How we do it | Our curriculum is designed to teach students to

navigate and embrace opportunity in a resource-rich, entrepreneurial

world. Our school community refl ects the world at large and is a

rich context for learning and friendship. As one parent said, “AFS

understands diversity to be a cornerstone for a strong, well-rounded

whole education.”

“ This is an environment where welcoming and

celebrating diversity is not just preached, it is lived

and practiced every day.”

— AFS Parent

this is our school of thought ...

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WE DEVELOP EACH STUDENT’S VOICE.

Why it matters | Research tells us that children who can express their passions at

an early age are more likely to thrive in their adult lives and careers.

How we do it | The AFS experience educates for initiative, clarity of thinking,

engagement and leadership through several signature programs that allow students

to fi nd and build their voice, their passions and their talents from an early age. In

Lower School the curriculum is guided by the children’s interests and develops in

exciting, often unexpected ways. By Middle School, students are ready to embark on

extended, self-directed research, culminating in the Eighth Grade Independent Study

project. In Upper School, programs like our signature ECCO (Exploring, Connecting,

and Committing to Opportunities) program help students discover their passions and

connect them to opportunities beyond our walls to deepen and extend their interests.

WE TEACH WITH INTENTION.

Why it matters | To help a student achieve all they are capable of, you must value

the individual student before you.

How we do it | Everything we do stems from our commitment to appreciating

children and young adults fully for who they are, with a vision for who they may

become and the expertise to help them get there. Our exceptional faculty skillfully

guides each student to be the best learner and contributor he or she can be. AFS

teachers know their students well – they know their strengths, their weaknesses and

their potential. They know how to motivate each student to defi ne his or her goals

and gain the capacities needed to accomplish those goals. When a student here has

a dream, we have teachers willing and able to help develop that vision.

WE BUILD STRONG ROOTS & DEEP RELATIONSHIPS.

Why it matters | The ability to connect deeply with others is not just a source

of happiness and contentment in life, it is an increasingly necessary skill in our world.

We need not just logic, but empathy. From this, comes authentic support

and, best of all, inspiration.

How we do it | More than a school, AFS is an active citizen in the larger world

and a place where teachers befriend students and their families. Our students grow

deep roots and strong relationships because AFS is a happy, healthy and inspiring

place to be.

“ Students expect that their work will be meaningful and that they will

play an active role in that work.”

— AFS Teacher

D E E P L E A R N I N G ,

true learning

At AFS, true learning goes well beyond

gaining profi ciency at the tasks of academic

work. It is about engaging the thinking and

assumptions that underlie our everyday

understanding of the world around us.

We intentionally develop in students an

authentic desire to learn, to frame questions,

to pursue answers, to think independently,

to lead, to explore and to create.

Here, in a program that is intellectually alive,

deep learning builds as students grow from

early childhood to young adulthood.

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L O W E R S C H O O L (age 3 to 4th Grade)

Our child-centered Lower School program builds on the excitement and

curiosity that our young students bring to their school experience. As

children join the Abington Friends community in Lower School, they enter

the world of creek walks and peace tables, mold symposiums and outdoor

classrooms, poetry night and reading breakfasts.

Skilled teachers provide a high level of challenge in a program designed

to guide and inspire children. In our specially designed Early Childhood

program for children 3 years old through Kindergarten, our youngest

students develop their sense of independence and their social skills.

Through hands-on, interdisciplinary activities, students in Lower School

are immersed in carefully planned projects that teach them to research,

experiment and solve problems. Through the timeless and vital institution

of free play, our children develop sensitivity and respect and learn to live

peacefully and joyfully within a community.

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To truly develop new ideas takes extended exploration, speculation, testing and refi nement – whether that means

three-year-olds tracking tree growth over the course of a year or developing exceptionally strong young writers

through habits of intensive refl ection and revision.

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Learning happens when we fi nd ourselves compelled to explore, to make meaning, to fi gure out. Engaging

questions are the norm here, whether it’s our youngest students starting their year by asking, “What is

a question?” or 7th and 8th graders in our math program posing questions that go beyond arithmetic to

a true exploration of practical application.

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M I D D L E S C H O O L (5th to 8th Grade)

Middle schoolers navigate a fascinating period of development as they

move through adolescence, evolving from concrete to abstract thinkers and

growing daily in independence. Our Middle School is staffed by a group

of talented educators dedicated to guiding students and families through

this sea of change. Students learn to assume more responsibility, take risks,

tackle academic challenges, engage with the world and take initiative in a

joyful, dynamic and supportive environment. The capstone of our Middle

School program is the Eighth Grade Independent Study. EGIS projects

challenge students – over the course of a year – to give voice to an area of

emerging interest. Whether they are making a fi lm about human rights or

studying Roman battle strategies, students reveal the passionate, thoughtful

voice that results from supported exploration and academic risk-taking.

Students leave Middle School well prepared for the challenges of an

ambitious Upper School curriculum.

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U P P E R S C H O O L (9th to 12th Grade)

We prepare students exceptionally well for college and success in the

contemporary world, developing in them the skills, capabilities and values

they will need to lead fulfi lling lives. Upper School students enjoy small

school intimacy combined with a broad landscape of opportunity on and

off campus. Through an extraordinary range of activities and choices, we

encourage students to participate on many levels and engage fully in an

exciting four-year journey of self-discovery and expression. A comprehensive

advising program and an off-campus Senior Independent Project help

Upper Schoolers discover and connect with their personal interests and

passions. In classrooms our talented faculty lead students through a well-

designed curriculum where quality of discourse is the key focus, assumptions

are effectively challenged, ideas are sharpened and multiple perspective is

always engaged. When our students graduate, they have learned how to

produce sophisticated work, how to have meaningful relationships and

how to take full advantage of the resources around them.

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“ The teachers, programs,

and friends here are amazing.

I couldn’t imagine being happier at another

school.”

– Upper School Student

Great teaching is at the heart of true learning. AFS fully supports a faculty training and professional development

model that puts our teachers and administrators on the national stage as leaders in educational philosophy and practice.

“ Through music I aim to provide a window to the world that

allows students to see and experience ways in which they can be

successful, creative, confi dent, part of a team and risk takers for

life ... always eager to wrap their mind around the next challenge

ahead of them.”

— AFS Middle School Music Teacher

A D Y N A M I C

school campus

AFS has been on the same beautiful

acreage for over 300 years. Throughout

our long history we have consistently

responded to the times we live in by

creating the most relevant experience for

our students. Today, our dynamic teaching

and learning environment includes the fi rst

interdisciplinary outdoor classroom in the

state, new engineering, robotics and design

labs, a multi-racial classroom pedagogy forged

through a partnership with the University of

Pennsylvania, and so much more.

Beautiful, Historic, Innovative Campus | Lower, Middle and

Upper School buildings and athletic facilities at the center of our

Campus. A verdant 50 acres including a creek, meadow, historic

Quaker Meetinghouse and extensive playing fi elds.

Wilf Center | A new type of learning center provides resources

to enrich skills of active engagement, discernment, collaboration,

leadership and continual learning. The Wilf Center is part of a

suite of advising resources, which includes our Director of Studies,

College Counseling, Faulkner Library and ECCO. Our

multidimensional approach to advising was commended by

The Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools.

Media and Design Lab | Computer Assisted Design and

engineering software workstations for students in our new

engineering electives, an AFS News Show studio and space

for our competitive robotics team.

AFS Outside Classrooms | The fi rst nature playground and outdoor

classroom in Pennsylvania to be accredited by the National Arbor Day

Foundation. A standard-setting program and dynamic leadership for

outdoor learning.

Faulkner Library | A modern, dramatic space alive with student

learning and collaboration. Home to a collection of over 25,000

print volumes, special collections including a peace collection and

a leadership collection, subscriptions to a host of online tools for

students including elibrary, JSTOR and ACCESS PA.

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“ The teachers, programs and friends here are amazing.

I couldn’t imagine being happier at another school.”

— Upper School Student

A N E N G A G I N G

fi fty acres

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AFS has a long tradition of award-winning theatre, music and visual

arts. Students study art history as well as work across a comprehensive

range of traditional media and new media such as digital video and

computer graphics. We celebrate student work with fully produced

theatre productions, concerts, art displays and formal art exhibitions.

Lower School Music Room | Designed for music and movement

education with a hardwood classroom fl oor, beautiful panoramic

views of the AFS campus, a full ensemble of Orff and percussion

instruments, SMART Board and an 88-key weighted digital piano/

music workstation.

Th e Josephine Muller Auditorium | A fully equipped professional

setting that seats 400, and includes a tech booth, lighting catwalks,

a large backstage area, dressing rooms, a prop/costume shop and

green room, a sound system with mixing console and a suspended

microphone system with surround-sound speakers.

Art, Ceramics, Photography Studios | Four well-lit studios feature

SMART Boards with overhead data projectors, multiple potter’s

wheels, fi ve kilns and a photography classroom with powerful design

software, a dark room/lab and 13 enlarging stations.

Black Box Studio Th eatre | A fl exible theatre space ideal for student

produced performances, cabarets and open mic nights.

Electronic Music Studio | Apple and Roland recording software/

hardware, 10 Korg X5 synthesizer keyboards and Sibelius music

notation software, ACID Pro sound looping and Sound Forge digital

editing software to enhance the Digital Audio curriculum.

Choral and Instrumental Music Classrooms | Baby grand

pianos, A/V equipment and an instrumental backline that includes

timpani, vibraphone, xylophone, marimbas, acoustic and electric

drum kits, concert bass drum, various cymbals, keyboards and

guitar/bass amplifi ers.

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A R E P U T A T I O N

in the arts

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AFS has 49 interscholastic teams in 20 sports at the middle and upper school levels

and a Lower School afterschool athletic program. Interscholastic sports begin in

Middle School with student-athletes developing their individual talents while

experiencing with their teammates the winning and losing that comes with

competition. Our Upper School program welcomes both novice players and those at

the highest levels of skill with a desire to continue their competitive athletic experience

in college. Since the founding of the Friends Schools League in 1982, AFS has

won 31 Varsity team championships.

Th ode Fitness Center | The home for many of AFS’s instructional Personal Fitness

programs and the School’s strength and conditioning and athletic rehabilitation

programs. AFS’s strength and conditioning coordinator and the School’s certifi ed

athletic trainer make use of the center daily throughout the year while training and

rehabilitating student-athletes.

Hallowell Gymnasium | Renovated in 2011 and the site of 19 Friends Schools

League championship boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.

Four Soccer Fields | Highlighted by the Varsity soccer fi eld, which boasts a

90,000-square-foot Kentucky bluegrass playing surface with state-of-the-art

irrigation and drainage systems and a 14-by-6-foot pivoting wireless scoreboard.

Six Tennis Courts | Recently renovated courts have Plexipave playing surface

and color scheme found at the nation’s top tournament courts.

Varsity Baseball & Softball Diamonds | Home to 16 Friends Schools League

playoff teams since 2003, including the 2011 girls’ state softball champions.

“ Everything I’ve learned, the very person I have become, has been shaped by

AFS. I did Model UN, was the yearbook editor, peer tutored, participated in

various math and science activities and played three Varsity sports, one of

which I captained.”

— AFS Graduate Class of 2008

F R I E N D S A N D

champions

C O L L E G E R E A D Y,

world ready

More than ever before the world is an open

road and there is no longer a predictable

route to success. We celebrate this world in

which opportunities abound. We also know

that success requires knowledge, creativity,

initiative and the ability to inspire others

like never before.

The AFS curriculum and experience hones

skills and orients our students toward high-

quality work so they are not only college

ready, but also world ready. They leave high

school ready to collaborate with and motivate

others in meaningful and profound ways.

AFS graduates truly “let their lives speak.”

“ AFS is intentional, mindful and daring in approaching all aspects

of what it means to be human – the intellectual, the emotional, the

social and the spiritual. It’s an education and experience built to make

each child the best he or she can be.”

— AFS Parent

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GENESIS FELIZ ’11

Bryn Mawr College

Genesis Feliz is a biology major, Spanish minor and environmental

studies minor at Bryn Mawr College. She plans on going to veterinary

school after graduation.

“ I felt really prepared going into college. I knew that there was going

to be a lot of reading and writing and I knew how to handle it. My four

years at AFS helped me become comfortable with reading 40-plus pages

a night or writing a seven- to 10-page research paper, much like what

is expected in college. Taking on many leadership roles at AFS, such as

participating in SDLC (Student Diversity Leadership Conference) my

junior and senior years, being a Varsity soccer and track captain and

the president of the Latino Affi nity Group also helped me hone

my leadership qualities.”

STEVE PETTIT ’10

Drexel University

Steve Pettit is a junior at Drexel University majoring in digital media with a

concentration in animation for video games and fi lm. His plan after graduation

is to work as an animator and rigger for a video game studio and “get out into

the world and do what I love to do – make games.”

“ AFS gave me everything I needed for college. I am able to write, research,

calculate and think. On top of that I am able to easily express myself in

class. Going into heavy studio and lab structured classes in college,

I can manage how much time each project will take, making sure that

it pushes my boundaries without becoming too large to handle. More

than all of this, I know AFS made me a strong and kind enough person

that it should not be too hard to fi nd myself a place in the world.”

C O L L E G E R E A D Y

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MARYROSE MYRTETUS ’05

Maryrose Myrtetus has always had a civic-minded orientation. At AFS,

she served on the Community Service Council and found herself loving

the work. At Vassar College she was class president and interned for

U.S. Senator Arlen Specter. Now she is Assistant to the Chief of Staff

for U.S. Senator Tom Carper in Washington, D.C. She says AFS taught

her to think and listen to others before reacting, and that serves her well

in a high-stress position when she is trying to do many things at once.

“ I am so grateful to AFS for giving me the self-confi dence to go

ahead and apply to Vassar and the White House internship.”

MAT JOHNSON ’89

Mat Johnson is the author of the novels Pym, Drop and Hunting in Harlem, the

nonfi ction novella The Great Negro Plot and the comic books Incognegro and

Dark Rain. He is also a recipient of the United States Artists James Baldwin

Fellowship, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, a Barnes & Noble Discover

Great New Writers selection and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature and is

a faculty member at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.

“ The thing I got most out of at AFS was the one-on-one relationships

with teachers...I came out feeling empowered.”

W O R L D R E A D Y

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“ There are many schools in our area with excellent academic

programs. AFS stands out for the depth of the curriculum

and the style of teaching.”

— AFS parent

A P L A C E

for you

City families, suburban families. Students from

public schools, parochial schools and other

independent schools. Single-parent families.

Same-sex parent families. Traditional families.

Students who are only children. Students with

lots of siblings. Every family is different but some

things they have in common – parents all want

an intellectually exciting education for their sons

and daughters. They want their children to feel

connected to something bigger than themselves.

They want them to be appreciative of the world

around them. They want them to feel supported

as they go through life. They want them to be

the kind of people who bring others along in

life’s journey as well. They fi nd that education

at Abington Friends School.

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ELIZABETH ’12, TOM (JUNIOR), MATT AND AUDRA GURIN

Fort Washington, PA

“ The greatest advantages my children have as a result of attending AFS are

self-confi dence and self-awareness. They no doubt could have had academic

success anywhere. However, because of AFS they push themselves to develop

their strengths and to compensate for their weaknesses. They value diversity

in themselves and in others, and they seek out new understandings and new

experiences. AFS also nurtures the importance of being a member of society

and the world beyond the campus.

As our daughter looked at colleges she carried that value for community and

caring for the world, and it strongly infl uenced her decisions. In the end she

chose Brown because it fi t her balanced need for academic excellence, passion

and community that AFS helped to foster.”

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AVA (4TH GRADE), BRODERICKAND CHRISTINE PRESIDENT

Elkins Park, PA

“ For us, academics are huge and so is building a good person – a child you

can really be proud of. The students here absolutely love to learn. It’s

effortless because the learning experience is woven into everything they do.

I didn’t even know my daughter knew about watersheds but this weekend,

she was weaving them into our dinner table discussion. She reads three or

four books a week. I don’t take credit for that. It’s all AFS.

Learning is turned on at an early age here and each year it’s ramped up.

Add to that the level of maturity these kids have – it impresses us. AFS

students have an ability to hold a conversation with an adult. They are

confi dent without being arrogant, and they are critically constructive

thinkers. They don’t accept everything at face value. When I drop Ava

off I don’t look back. I have such a feeling that she will be nurtured,

happy, engaged and secure.”

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DAVID LASSER (2ND GRADE),

BERNIE TELLNER AND ROBERT LASSER

Pineville, PA

“ We live in Bucks County, which speaks to the draw of AFS among the large

number and variety of independent schools in the area. For us, AFS had a warmth

of spirit and focus on our child’s overall development that was important. We

especially love AFS’s focus on the community and weaving parent-led events into

the social and seasonal fabric of the educational experience.

Education is far more than academic skills; AFS is also focused on equipping

children with knowledge of how to navigate social relationships and lead by

personal example. These qualities ultimately help develop tomorrow’s leaders

to be well-balanced in understanding cultural differences and working through

these differences to solve global problems.

The great advantage an AFS graduate has is being confi dent about embracing the

world and not shying away from realizing their independent thinking and spirit.”

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A T A G L A N C E

Serving students

age 3 through grade 12.

Quaker values include

diversity, equality, integrity,

simplicity, peacefulness and

stewardship, and are at the core of

the School’s mission and daily life.

100% of students attend

a 4-year college.

Students come to AFS from

approximately 75 ZIP codesin the greater Philadelphia area.

AFS is easily accessible

via many forms of public

transportation, van service as well

as school district busing.

50-acre campus with fi elds,

a creek and a Quaker Meetinghouse

Well-equipped arts wing with digital recording studio,

darkroom and ceramics studios

and MIDI lab for composing.

35% of students self-identify

as students of color.

Graduating classes of

60 to 80 students

Honors and AP courses

are offered in all subjects.

49 athletic teams,31 Friends League Championships

O U R I N V I T A T I O N

to visitAt Abington Friends School, we believe in more than the

traditional goal of preparing children for the next step in their

schooling. We prepare our students not only for outstanding

college careers, we ready them for lives of purpose, meaning

and accomplishment.

To learn more about Abington Friends School, we invite you to

visit us and to imagine your son or daughter here – engaged in

the excitement of true learning every day.

Visit our website at www.abingtonfriends.net or request

information by contacting the Admission Offi ce at 215-576-3984

or admissions@abingtonfriends.net.

For a fi rsthand look at our campus, and to meet our students,

teachers and staff , come visit us. Open houses are off ered

throughout the year in the fall, winter and spring.

Abington Friends School is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and

anti-harassment in all aspects of our members’ actions and relationships on any

basis including but not limited to race, religion, ancestry, color, age, gender,

sexual orientation, familial status, disability, veteran status or national origin.

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Abington Friends School575 Washington Lane, Jenkintown, PA 19046

p: 215-886-4350 / f: 215-886-9143

admissions@abingtonfriends.net

www.abingtonfriends.net