The GFS Annual Fund in Action

Curtis CenterPreschool students at GFS’ Center City Early Childhood Campus board the school bus for their monthly exchange to visit Main Campus, where they’ll make new friends in the play yard, create in the classroom, and attend Meeting for Worship.

Barbara & David Loeb Performing Arts CenterFaculty and staff meet for a special professional development workshop with pediatrician and youth advocate, Dr. Ken Ginsburg. His presentation, which will later be shared with GFS families, explores how to provide students with safe and secure relationships that enable them to overcome challenges and build resilience.

All School CommonsIn the new Ceramics Studio, a fifth-grade art class learns the foundations of working with clay, while a few classrooms over, Upper Schoolers experiment with the laser cutter in the Fab Lab. The ceramics studio, complete with pottery wheels and kilns, and the Fabrication Lab, outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, are just two of the highlights of the Abigail R. Cohen Center for the Arts.

Cary BuildingA first grade class gathers on the rug for Meeting for Worship prep. These 30-minute lessons use stories and visual aids to help illuminate queries about the Quaker testimonies and guide young students in how, when, and why one shares during a Meeting. This curriculum is developed by the Lower School Quakerism committee.

Main Building, 2nd FloorUpper Schoolers meet on the second floor of Main for the Peace Cranes workshop, part of the DEI Office’s annual Diversity Dialogue Day. They reflect on the Quaker Peace testimony, the collective struggle for peace in the world, and how mindful practices can keep us grounded and connected. Each student folds paper cranes which they will send around the globe through the Peace Crane Project.

Poley AuditoriumASPIRE, GFS’s after-school program for Early Childhood through Grade 5, offers enriching activities throughout the year focused on creative and performing arts, STEM, and cooking projects. Non-Tuition Financial Aid is available for this program, making it more accessible for many families.

Sharpless BuildingEighth graders work on their Capstones, independent long-term projects that represent the culmination of their Middle School years. Faculty provide guidance and support, but the projects are completely student-designed and led. Students are empowered to utilize the resources available at school, preparing them for increased independence in Upper School.

Friends Free LibraryDr. Zarah Adams, Director of Community Engagement, meets with students in the Community Engagement Club to plan their project entry for The Philly Service Award, an annual city-wide competition. This year, they will collaborate with Whosoever Gospel Mission and GFS’ dining services team to provide workshops for unhoused men about shopping for, prepping, and cooking healthy, affordable food.

FieldsJV Crew works on their form, using the erg machines set up on the patio outside the newly renovated Middle House. This is just one of the many investments GFS is making in our Athletics infrastructure.

5317 Germantown Ave.In an Upper School English class, students receive their copies of Hamlet. Each year, the entire eleventh and twelfth grades read the same book—this year, it’s Shakespeare’s classic tragedy; last year, they read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. These books are provided for students, as are all required textbooks and materials at GFS.