Quaker Matters

Gavin Gray ’28 details his Social Innovators project titled, "Community Connection Consulting."

Margaret Anne Butterfield joins the show!

Brad Greenman joins the Quaker Matters Podcast!

Emily Hershman David ’09 joins the podcast!

Chris Verry joins the podcast!

It was an incredible year for the WFS field hockey and girls’ soccer programs, led by head coach and longtime WFS faculty member Scott Clothier. On the latest episode of the Quaker Matters podcast, Coach Clothier discusses his coaching philosophy, the similarities and differences between the two programs, what it meant to share both championship moments with his daughter, Sara, and why each team w...

WFS Athletic Trainer Noah Underwood stops by!

Dami Johnson ’27: Teens Supporting Teens helped high schoolers organize their time and work more effectively. Dami’s project also focused on improving mental well-being and helping students address feelings of stress or disarray.

Scarlett Murphy ’27: Passionate about politics, Scarlett began her SIP project by exploring the struggles of individuals involved in the political scene. This led to thoughtful conversations about ethics and personal values. Inspired by this work, Scarlett created a project aimed at helping people find local businesses and resources that aligned with their ethical beliefs, supporting more consciou...

Scarlett Murphy ’27: Passionate about politics, Scarlett began her SIP project by exploring the struggles of individuals involved in the political scene. This led to thoughtful conversations about ethics and personal values. Inspired by this work, Scarlett created a project aimed at helping people find local businesses and resources that aligned with their ethical beliefs, supporting more consciou...

Justin Hutchful ’27: Justin’s project, Fixing Procrastination, helped students who struggled with procrastination by offering an online study group that implemented an intensive study schedule to build better academic habits.

Henry Gaskell ’26: Henry’s idea, Henry’s Arm Care, was a small physical single-page guide made for baseball players who were unable to perform at peak level because of arm pain. It offered targeted exercises based on pain location to help athletes recover and maintain performance.

Gianna Cottone ’26: Gianna’s project, Earth Educators, revolved around educating teenagers about the climate. Her focus was on sparking curiosity or urgency regarding climate change, with the hope of reducing daily habits that harm the environment.

Landis Hershey ’26: After observing a significant lack of transparency in scoring at mock trial competitions, Landis developed a mock trial guide booklet titled All Rise: The Art of Mock Trial. This booklet provided competitors with clear, easy-to-understand information about the scoring process, practical tips and strategies, and other essential guidance to help improve their performance at compe...

Charlie’s project, Hockey Parent Connect, was an online newsletter and platform that provided valuable information to parents of youth hockey players about local programs and what they offered for the upcoming season.

On the latest episode of the Quaker Matters Podcast , Rose Mulveny ’26 reflects on her year abroad in Zaragoza, Spain with the School Year Abroad (SYA) program. Rose shares how this immersive experience helped her gain confidence in speaking and presenting in Spanish, as well as the lasting friendships she built with her peers and host family. “Doing it for the full year is the best experience you...

As part of her Senior Exploration, Reese Bryson ’25 interviewed Charlie Bradford for the Quaker Matters Podcast . Charlie, a visitor from The Friends’ School in Hobart, Tasmania, spent time at Wilmington Friends this spring engaging in service activities before returning home to begin medical school. Their conversation explored Quaker values, cultural differences, how Charlie enjoyed teaching midd...

Jake Rashkind stops by to chat with Andrés Pardo ’21 and Ely Longwill ’21 about his teaching career at Wilmington Friends School.

“When a child looks at you like, ‘I trust you,’ I think that’s the most rewarding feeling in the world.” Tracey Quillen Carney ’80 recently joined the Quaker Matters Podcast. In this episode, Tracey discusses her experience as a student here at WFS, the inspiration behind writing a children’s book, the importance of literacy and how families can help their children develop this skill at an early a...

“To go back to the Quaker SPICES… I think the foundation of what Wilmington Friends School is… it turns out good people. Yes, of course, it’s about the education, but it’s also about the people this place turns out. It turns out good people who will do good.” Lesley Tryon ’71, the Assistant Director of Finance at WFS, joined the Quaker Matters Podcast. In this episode, Lesley discusses how the bus...

“There’s no need to be modest about your ambitions or your hopes. If there is something that you want to do or something that you want to see happen in the world, move toward it one little step at a time, and you can be a part of how things change.” Zach Williams ’02, an author and Jones Lecturer in Fiction at Stanford University, joined the Quaker Matters Podcast. In this episode, Zach discusses...

“It prepares you to be a better citizen of the world, both going out into the world and receiving people into your own world who might not speak English. I also think it gives kids a sense that there is more than one normal in the world; there is more than one way to think about something because language has a big effect on how we perceive the world.” Laura Jersild Pardo ’90, who serves as a midd...

Inspired by their mothers’ entrepreneurial spirits, Anya Agarwal ’25 and Layla Baynes ’25 founded the Entrepreneurship Club at WFS during the 2023-24 school year. They created the club to provide a supportive environment where WFS students could develop and share their business ideas. Anya hoped club members would realize that “no idea is a bad idea if you are passionate about it.” Throughout the...

Josh created a preoperative total joint replacement (TJR) screener targeting patient-initiated cancellation. This TJR screener gives patients scores/ratings based on how likely they are to cancel their surgeries.

Cora’s project, “Wild Kids in the Wildlife,” is focused on helping teens take action against climate change. Focusing on recycling, reusing, and reducing, Cora helped teenagers understand that there are many small and low cost every day efforts that they can do each day to help the environment.