Community Engagement Reimagined

For 26 years, GFS has partnered with Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that offers academic enrichment opportunities and college preparation for students from public and charter schools. Earlier this year, in alignment with the GFS strategic vision priority of Learning in Community, the two organizations deepened their relationship by appointing GFS to administer Breakthrough

’s academic program--in addition to providing volunteers and learning space, and naming a new director, Michelle Palmer, from within the GFS community. Under Palmer’s leadership, the program faculty and student teaching fellows are able to intentionally incorporate GFS campus resources and community.  

Breakthrough also supports up-and-coming teachers, providing hands-on opportunities to learn alongside seasoned educators through a “Students-Teaching-Students” model? Classrooms are led by teaching fellows, college students recruited through a competitive nationwide search, supervised by master teachers—instructional coaches—drawn from GFS and other area schools. Students, teaching fellows, instructional coaches, and staff are able to learn from one another in a collaborative environment. This structure exposes students to the field of education as a possible career and provides an opportunity for novice teachers to grow and thrive. 

GFS' Algebra Enrichment Program offers public and charter school students from the area the opportunity to take pre-algebra in middle school, opening a door to college and professional success. 

The program is designed by GFS math teachers to provide seventh grade students from the Germantown area with a strong Pre-Algebra foundation to aid in their readiness for an Algebra 1 course and the high school application process. Topics in the program focus on preparing students for success on their state tests, as well as exposure to content they can expect to see on high school entrance exams.

Highlights of the program:

• All classes are led by a GFS math teacher
• Students are immersed in a rigorous Pre-Algebra program
• Curriculum focuses on exploring and expanding upon key Common Core Standards
• Students who successfully complete the program will have curated a digital portfolio of their work, will receive a certificate of completion, and are encouraged to use a program teacher as a reference for high school applications

To express interest in the program, students and caregivers should email Kayla Ashcroft. Additional program specifics and a calendar will be shared after receipt of application.

For questions, please email: Kayla Ashcroft (Program Coordinator & Instructor), kashcroft@germantownfriends.org

Now in its 50th year, the Community Basketball and Enrichment Camp (CBE) offers a four-week summer program for rising 3-9 grade students, combining basketball and classroom instruction. The basketball portion focuses on skill-building, teamwork, and sportsmanship, and offers students from different schools the opportunity to play ball together. CBE’s experienced teacher-coaches reinforce the fundamentals of reading, writing, and math—providing a full day of physical and mental wellness, friendship, and activity. 

CBE’s unique impact derives from about a 6 to 1 coach-to-camper ratio. It engenders intimate mentoring relationships that start “on the court” and carry over into the classroom. CBE coaches quickly form close instructional relationships with 8-16 year old male and female campers, an ideal age range to infuse an enthusiasm for learning. This is in large contrast to campers who are otherwise attending Philadelphia’s overcrowded and under-resourced Germantown area public schools with teacher-student ratios of as much as 35 to 1.

Doubling as teaching instructors, most CBE coaches are former campers themselves, which furthers a uniquely impactful tradition—including some campers (15-plus) for whom CBE has been a bridge to the school’s Community Scholarship Program. Leadership and opportunity grow from true community.