As we open the door to 2025, there are many amazing new experiences, familiar traditions, and exciting possibilities ahead. Check out GFS’ top 10 list of moments we’re looking forward to in Winter/Spring 2025!

10. Move-up ceremonies and graduation. Sometimes bittersweet but always joyous, in June we mark the progress of our students who are moving up into new divisions or finishing out their senior year. These include the PreK bead ceremony; fifth and eighth grade moving-up ceremonies; and twelfth grade graduation. 

9. Creativity and discovery at the annual Upper School Science Night and All-School Art Show. Innovation meets discovery at our annual culminations of student art and science projects. For Science Night in April, students in grades 9-12 break from their routine science work and conduct special experiments to share with the community. And then in May during the All-School Art Show, parts of campus are transformed into art galleries featuring work made by students from every grade.

8. Spring musical and theatre performances. Theatre and music performances kick off in February and run through May, starting with the Middle School Musical in February and culminating with Poley Fest May. Check the school calendar for all the details. 

7. GFS A Cappella Fest. With A Cappella marking its 30th anniversary at GFS, this year’s fest is bound to be epic. Set for Friday and Saturday, February 7 and 8, this “big, loud show” brings high school and college students from around the region to share their vocal talents. 

6. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia. Using a novel near-peer approach, GFS’ Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia pursues a dual mission: preparing underserved middle school students for high school success, and building the pipeline of the next generation of teachers. Since its inception as Summer Bridge, Breakthrough has impacted thousands of lives and continues to innovate new partnerships and programs. 

5. Kristen Welker ’94, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” delivering the Christopher Allen ’09 Lecture. The second annual Christopher Allen ’09 Lecture on Thursday, February 20, will feature national news host and anchor Kristen Welker ’94. The lecture series invites eminent journalists and writers who explore the human experience through their work both at home and abroad and is named in honor of Chris Allen ’09, who was tragically killed while reporting on the ground in South Sudan in 2017. Read more about his story here.

4. Classes starting in the Abigail R. Cohen Center for the Arts in the All School Commons. Students will set foot in new classrooms in the Abigail R. Cohen Center for the Arts for the first time this month. From the large dark room, to the ceramics studio to the Fab Lab, we can’t wait to see how student creativity blooms in these expansive new spaces. 

3. New and upgraded Athletics Facilities. Exciting things are afoot at GFS Athletics! This spring, the renovated Middle House at Fields will reopen with a concession stand for students and fans, plus new all-gender bathrooms. This summer at Fields, construction will continue on our drainage and irrigation project on the track field where varsity girls soccer and lacrosse compete. 

Then, in late fall, we're anticipating the opening of the new Fitness Center in Main. At 4,000+ square feet, GFS’ new fitness center will be one of the largest facilities among peer schools. In addition to fitness and meeting rooms, there will be designated spaces for cardio, plyometrics, Olympic lifting, speed work, and a new slam wall. 

2. Re-opening the front steps of Main. First built in 1925, the iconic portico and front steps of the Main Building have undergone a major renovation to fortify infrastructure and shore up the basement below. The beloved rendezvous spot is expected to open this spring. What’s more, the structure will be named in honor of David A. West ’49 and Susan Quillen West ’49, both of whom passed away in 2023. For decades, the Wests were ardent supporters of GFS; among their many contributions to our community are the West Room in Loeb and the establishment of the Faculty Leadership Fund. 

1. The grand opening of the All School Commons during Alumni Weekend. A watershed moment at GFS: our new building is our most ambitious—and at 40,000 square feet, the largest—campus development. A model of Quaker-inspired design, the All School Commons carries forth the school’s strategic vision to promote wellbeing, integrate the arts, design, and engineering, and fortify learning in community. On the Friday of Alumni Weekend (May 16, 2025), the community will celebrate its grand opening.