Plymouth MeetingFriends SchoolA P u b l i c A t i o n f o r A l u m n i , P A r e n t s , A n d f r i e n d s

On Tuesday, June 9, 2009, Plymouth Meeting Friends School celebrated the PMFS Class of 2009 with an evening graduation ceremony for family and friends. Graduation opened with a processional of the class and a welcome by class members Abigail Bekele and Ethan Snyder. Head of School Anne Javsicas then welcomed the community. “This year is the 300th anniversary of Plymouth Monthly Meeting, a good time to think of the beautiful Meetinghouse, with its unique doors, each with a special purpose,” she said. “These doors will usher our graduates out tonight but can also wel-come them back to visit, and we hope they do!” PMFS alumni speaker, Eddie Einbender-Luks (03) followed Javsicas with a heart-felt speech about the influence PMFS has had on his life (see page 6). Members of the Class of 2009 then gave their individual speeches, interspersed with several musical

Congratulations to the PMFS Class of 2009

selections, including Colors of the Wind, sung by graduating sixth graders Isabella Dickstein and Emma Colzani, Forever Young, sung by the class with conga drum accompaniment by Owen Tressider (09) and tambourine accompaniment by Naim Williams (09), and a classical guitar performance of Krieger’s Minuet by Ben Forman (09). The Meeting for Worship part of graduation was filled with many moving words from members of the community, including PMFS alumni Zack Smith (03) and Reiss Clauson-Wolf (03). Following the presentation of diplomas, the graduation ceremony ended, as usual, with an emotion-filled rendering of the Plymouth Meeting Friends School Alma Mater. The class of 2009 then received family and friends in the Annie H. Wilson Room to enjoy a lovely reception hosted by the graduation committee.

Summer 2009

The Class of 2009 in the sixth grade classroom just prior to graduating on June 9, 2009.

New Website is Live! story on page 5

Dear Friends,It has been a most unusu-

al year, and we are making it through this rough patch. Our mission guides us daily in interactions and in making deci-sions. Our belief that “there is that of God” in each person instructs us to care for one another, considering the needs of each person as an individual as well as of our school as a whole. When the economy sailed downward, many fami-lies felt the loss of income and assets. School Committee responded with substantially increased financial aid and new guidelines for this support. We are a community in the truest sense, and being aware of individuals’ needs, many have reached out. Present parents, alumni and alumni parents, members of Plymouth Monthly Meeting, and friends of the School step forward every day to help. Some give anonymous gifts to support our increased finan-cial aid, others support individual families they know are struggling, and families with businesses join the EITC program that provides tax relief to them and tuition assis-tance funds to PMFS.

Like so many other schools, our student body will be smaller next year. Admission activity is still strong. Our faculty has been working together to decide economies to preserve our program and save financial resources. This is an extraordinary group of people. Being in a staff meeting with them as they roll up their sleeves and approach the situation with a “we can solve this” attitude is again con-firmation of the way we value each person’s contribution, feel responsibility for our students, families, program, and institution, and optimistically stretch in new ways to live out our mission. School Committee has also taken steps to guard assets and maintain our program.

Despite the financial situation, there have been many accomplishments this year. We are very proud of our new website. If you have not yet discovered it, you are in for a treat. The PMFS auction of 2007 paid for website devel-opment and hosting. Several faculty and staff have gener-ously spent many hours developing a site representative of our school. Viewers will see this beginning site develop in complexity and content as we transition to this form of

communication. As our first year with the newest compo-nent of our math program

ends, we judge it a success. In addition to our rich conceptual

and experiential math program we have added a standard text series

to provide continuity and to show parents and students more clearly the scope of each year’s work. We also published an overview of the full math program for our parents. Poetry, always popular and embedded in classroom experiences, reached new depths this year. Poet Janet Wong spent a day with students creating and shar-ing poetry throughout the school. Pocket poems given to each other, guests stopping into classrooms to read a favor-ite poem, and students reading their own work at Barnes & Noble during “TV Turn-Off Week” brought poetry to us throughout our days. On one rainy day, many sixth grad-ers spent recess in their classroom, perched on windowsills, sitting on the floor in two’s and three’s, writing poetry, and reading their work to each other. This is one of those precious PMFS moments I will always remember.

Efforts around our new building project to provide much-needed facilities continue, and we are doing our best to respond appropriately to circumstances. We are talking with many about our hopes for this small school. We are moving forward to deliver what the school needs in order to continue its strong tradition of valuing children and inspiring them to love learning, themselves, and others. We have a lot to offer our students, and they, in turn, bring so very much to us and to all those they encounter as they move into other schools and beyond those into their adult lives. We increasingly hear from our alumni. Two spent time with us this year and made a point of telling us how science teachers influenced them in their career choices of environmental science. There have been class reunions, notes from those who graduated eighty years ago and as recently as just last year. Life is full at Plymouth Meeting Friends School.

Best wishes for a healthy and restful summer.Yours truly, Anne Javsicas, Head of School

L e t t e r t o t h e C o m m u n i t y f r o m t h e H e a d o f S c h o o lJune 2009

We are moving forward to

deliver what the school needs in order to continue its strong

tradition of valuing children and inspiring them to love learning,

themselves, and others.

PMFS 2009Spr ing Wrap-up

Janet Wong, an award-winning author of more than twenty books for children, visited PMFS on Tuesday, April 7. After speaking at a morning assembly for the entire school community, Wong held writing workshops throughout the day for students in the first through sixth grades.

Grace Eberwine (left) and Brandi Mayer (right) performed with the hoop in the 2008-2009 fourth grade circus. This year’s circus had the theme “The Roaring Twenties” and was filled with fourth grad-ers walking the tightrope, swinging on trapeze, unicycling, clowning, dancing, singing, and performing on the circus ball.

PMFS primary student Kaitlyn Arms (center) enjoys Grandparents and Special Friends Day with grandfathers Charles Davidson (left) and Mike Arms (right).

PMFS parent Margie Ruddick (center) read from her upcoming book, What are We doing Here, Anyway, when Plymouth Meeting Friends School students and their families celebrated Earth Day, Poetry Month and TV Turnoff Week on April 22, 2009 at Barnes and Noble. Ruddick’s book is about sustainability and green practices related to landscape architecture and about creating beautiful places for people to connect with nature and each other.

The Plymouth community received a wonderful treat when the Class of 2009 performed their sixth grade musical, Persephone and the Fate of Spring. This new pop/rock musical, by Frumi Cohen, took place in the Steinbright Auditorium at PMFS on May 8th and 9th.

The artwork of PMFS students appeared at the Woodmere Art Museum as part of the Museum’s Children’s Gallery show, which featured approximately 300 pieces of art work by students from eight area

schools. The title of the show was “Origins” and the work of PMFS students focused on the origin of the shoe. Shown here is artwork by PMFS student Jade Swisher.

1970searl clinton William, Jr. (72) wrote to say that he still carries many of the lessons about life that he learned at PMFS. Earl lives in Oakland, California and is active in the Episcopal Church there.

1980smegan culp (86) and Chris Singler (former faculty mem-ber) gave birth to a baby girl, Maeve Culp Singler, on December 22, 2008.

Adrienne Pancoe cormier (89) writes, “I’m enjoying life on Cape Cod with my husband and two children, Harry (2 ½) and Ellie (6 months) and wish we lived in Pennsylvania so we could send our children to PMFS! Instead I recommend it to my friends with children in the Plymouth area!”

1990srhiannon mcGovern lindmar (90) is currently a second grade teacher in the Upper Dublin (Pennsylvania) School District. She visited PMFS in March as part of her profes-sional development requirement and had a chance to observe PMFS with her “teacher goggles” on.

erin schmitt (93) wrote to let us know that she and her partner Dane welcomed their daughter Mari to the world on May 10, 2008.

mike silberman (93) writes that he is pursuing a degree in architecture at Syracuse University.

marshall Green (93) was featured in the January/February issue of Philadelphia Style as one of Philadelphia’s rising chefs. Marshall is the owner of and chef at Café Estelle in downtown Philadelphia.

liz Pasceri moyer (94) is working at Friends Select School as an assistant teacher in second grade. She is married and living in East Falls.

turea Hutson (97) was featured in the “Faces” column of the Norristown Times Herald this spring for her advocacy work on ovarian cancer. She is organizing an event, to be held this September, to raise awareness about the disease.

becky molotsky (98) is living in Boston and doing research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Paul ort (99) graduated from Pomona College in May 2009.

david molotsky (99) graduated from Lehigh University in the spring and will join Ernst and Young this fall.

2000sPaul nolan (00) just completed his junior year at the University of Miami where he is studying history and Latin American studies.

Jonathan bass (01) is studying secondary education and art at Montgomery County Community College.

Andrew murray (01) just completed his freshman year at the University of Cincinnati.

michael bilyk (03) will start attending Pennsylvania State University this summer to study aerospace engineering.

reiss clauson-Wolf (03) pitched for the championship Germantown Friends School baseball team this year and is happy to report that this is GFS’s sixth year in a row as winning team.

maeve sutherland (03) has been awarded the Ursinus College Creative Writing Award, a four year scholar-

ship for “writers of outstanding originality and potential.” As part of this honor, during her freshman year at Ursinus, Maeve will have use of the dorm room J.D.Salinger lived in when he attended the college.

tyler clauson-Wolf (05) was on the GFS championship baseball team with his brother Reiss Clauson-Wolf (03).

Alex clarke (06) and Allison david (06) took first place medals at the Germantown Friends School’s Physics Olympics this spring.

monica Guest (08) performed in the Chestnut Hill College music department’s production of Fiddler on the Roof in April 2009.

newsAlumni

PMFS Alumni Alex McConaghy (02) (left), Natalie Smith (04) (right) and Logan McGill (01) (3rd from left) returned to PMFS as part of a panel at the school’s “Soon to be Alumni Luncheon”. The three PMFS alumni talked with students about life beyond PMFs and how to stay connected with the school.

PMFS Young Alumni Basketball Tournament 2009

Ob i t ua ry John m. Price (28) died on Monday, January 19, 2009 at his home in Radnor. He would have been 91 on February 5. Mr. Price was born in Plymouth Meeting and lived on the Dickinson-Albertson Farmstead, now the Plymouth Meeting Historical Society. As a child, Mr. Price walked through his family’s farm meadow with his brother and sister every day. The meadow is now the “lower field” for PMFS, which the school leases from Plymouth Township. Mr. Price graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1939. He had three careers, first as a cartoonist, next as a television art director, and finally as an independent film producer. He received many awards for his professional work and also for the artwork he produced in retirement. During his lifetime Mr. Price made fifty-one trips to Costa Rica where he made many friends. He made his last trip there a month before his death.

The newly designed Plymouth Meeting Friends School website was launched in May, 2009, bringing with it a more vibrant online presence and greater functionality. The site, funded by proceeds from the 2007 PMFS Auction, was created and brought to reality by the work of the PMFS website committee, including science teacher and Technology Coordinator Mike Green, faculty member Will Starr, Admission Director Ellen Harris, Administrative Assistant Cheryl Rasing and Director of Communications Betsy Torg.

The new site, hosted by the Boston-based website firm, Magic Hour, will be unveiled in several phased launches, bringing with it a plethora of new features:

Phase I: The launch this spring, considered Phase I of a multi-phased process, includes flash technology, online giv-ing, online forms and registration for events and activities, in-depth content on the PMFS program and Quaker educa-tion, online admission information request forms, online rental inquiries, an on-line calendar for the PMFS commu-nity and a news feature to update the community on recent happenings at the school.

Phase II: Currently underway over the summer and into the fall, Phase II will bring password protected community sections for parents, faculty and alumni, the introduction of e-newsletters to PMFS parents, e-mail blast capabilities, a faculty directory complete with photos and bios, web tracker capabilities and more.

Phase III: Phase III will bring a password protected online directory for the school (think virtual Red Book). Additional features available to the school in the future include blogs, on-line videos and more.

Comments and questions about site content? Email Betsy Torg at betsyt@pmfs1780.org. Or call Betsy at 610-828-2288, ext 245.

P M F S L a u n c h e s N e w W e b s i t eGo to www.pmfs1780.org and check it out! by Betsy Torg

WANTED : You r Cu r r en t Ema i l Add re s sCalling all PMFS Alumni! PMFS needs your current email address. In an effort to communicate in a more environmentally-friendly way (and also to reduce our printing expenses), PMFS is planning to gradually shift to email blasts and e-newsletters.

To reach you quickly with the latest news from PMFS, we need your current email address.

Please go to www.pmfs1780.org, click on Parents/Faculty/Alumni and look in the side bar menu for the link to the Alumni section. Click on “Alumni” and look in the sidebar menu for the online alumni information form.

Filling out the form will place your contact informa-tion securely on the site and enable us to reach you in a greener, faster, and more cost-effective way. It will also enable the system to generate your password for the alumni section of the site. Thank you!

Datest o r e m e m b e r

September 10 Opening day of School

September 13 Back to School Picnic (4-6pm)

October 1 Back to School Night (7-9pm)

October 7 Admission Open House (9:30am)

October 30 Halloween Parade (8:30am)TBA Leaf Raking Day with PMMNovember 12-13 Book FairNovember 25 Thanksgiving ProgramDecember 18 Winter Holiday Program

Just days before graduating from PMFS, the Class of 2009 gathered on the new build-ing site to create a time capsule. The Class will reopen the cap-sule when they gather for their

High School Graduation Party at Strawberry Festival in 2015.

“…Six years ago I was sitting where you are tonight, thinking about my speech, feeling a little nervous and ready for the summer to begin. Your class was in Pre-Primary, young saplings just beginning your life at Plymouth, and I was confident and on my way out, ready to face new challenges at a new school. Now here you sit, at the top of the school with all of the great memories and experienc-es of Plymouth behind you, ready to embark on a new journey. We have something in common, we are both graduating this year, I from high school and you from Plymouth, and we are both moving on to a whole new stage in our lives, and we are both ready to press on.

Let me say that you are fortunate to be part of the Plymouth community, and to be joining the PMFS alumni. I enjoyed tremendously my years at Plymouth when I was here, but reflecting back on my experience throughout these past six years, I’ve come to realize and appreciate how unique and valuable the education that Plymouth gave me truly is. I cannot emphasize enough how important Plymouth was to my elementary years and how Plymouth instilled in me life lessons and a sense of community that I will never forget. There are so many experiences I could share, but in the interest of time I will highlight two areas of my educational experiences at Plymouth that have grown with me through-out my middle and high school career.

My interest in Spanish and exploring new cultures began at Plymouth. The trip to Mexico sparked a passion in

2009 G radua t i on Speake r : Edd i e E i nbende r - Luk s (03 )“ Plymouth instilled in me life lessons and a sense of community that I will never forget”

me to travel and engage with people from different countries. The home stay with the Cuernavacan family was by far the most memorable experience, and I learned to appreciate the similarities and differences between our two cultures. When I arrived at Germantown Friends School in seventh grade, I was well prepared for my Spanish courses and continued to flourish in my studies and language development. I was fortunate to be a part of the senior class trip to Costa Rica this past spring. The trip included a service learning project, a home stay, and travel. Again my favorite part, and the part that was most authentic, was the time spent living with a Costa Rican family. I thought back to my trip to Mexico and how I could hardly speak the language and lacked confidence to do so, but now I was conversing with the family with ease and having a great time. This trip further reinforced my desire to travel, to explore new territories, and to continue with Spanish in college.

The other area I men-tioned was the Quaker philosophy that there is that of God in every-one. At Plymouth, I was taught invaluable lessons on conflict resolution and respecting everyone equal-ly and listening to every-one’s voice. This qual-ity is extremely important because in understanding one another as human

beings, we need to see the others perspective and settle con-flicts without violence.

The Quaker philosophy of non-violence inspired me this past year to become a Conscientious Objector and to refuse to engage in violence as a way to resolve conflicts, large or small. This is a personal view, and along with the Quaker belief of service, I plan to fight injustice in the world and commit myself to public service. So these are two aspects of Plymouth I brought with me among many others, and Plymouth stays with, you believe me.

Words of wisdom? My simple advice is to have fun, be confident, be open minded, and don’t be afraid to take chanc-es or to try new things. Nothing ventured is nothing gained. Plymouth has provided you with such strong roots that you will be successful wherever you go. Hold onto your friends, stay in touch with them, as these friendships will last for life. There will be good times and difficult times, but believe me they will pass, and finally, you are ready!”

“At Plymouth, I was taught invaluable lessons

on conflict resolution and respecting everyone equally and listening

to everyone’s voice.”

Photos in this newsletter were taken by Ann Alberts, Katie Hall, Robin Miller, Will Terry and Betsy Torg.

Impact the lives of each student every day by donating to the Annual Fund.

In a year in which our school has committed to increas-ing financial aid and scholarship funds to keep every Plymouth student at Plymouth, it is important for us to receive financial support from our extended community. We hope you will contribute so that we can meet this financial commitment that extends above and beyond our day to day operating expenses.

Gifts to the Annual Fund reflect the combined dedi-cation and love of everyone who is committed to making

Sustaining Plymouth: The Annual Fund Help us reach kids and our goal by Susannah Hunter

Plymouth Meeting Friends School thrive. It is through gifts to the Annual Fund that our extended Plymouth family of current and alumni parents, grandparents, students, alumni, faculty, and friends help address the current needs of the school and support our educational program.

Our dynamic and innovative interdisciplinary programs and initiatives depend on these funds. Unrestricted Annual Fund contributions are crucial to maintaining and enriching the Plymouth experience.

In a small school every gift matters. Make yours today!

He lp PMFS S t uden t s S t ay i n S choo l and Save TAX Money Too ! By Susannah Hunter

the educational improvement tax credit (eitc), provides companies with a 75% tax credit for donations to a non-profit scholarship or educational improvement organization. The tax credit increases to 90% if the com-pany commits to making the same donations for two con-secutive years. A business paying taxes in Pennsylvania can receive up to $300,000 in tax credits annually. More importantly, the eitc provides children and families with a choice in their education and a chance to impact their life.

See if Your Business Qualifies; Guidelines for Businesses:

Businesses authorized to do business in Pennsylvania who are subject to one or more of the following taxes are eligible to participate in the EITC Program:

» Corporate Net Income Tax » Capital Stock Franchise Tax » Bank and Trust Company Shares Tax » Title Insurance Companies Shares Tax » Insurance Premiums Tax » Mutual Thrift Institution Tax » Personal Income Tax passing through S-Corporations,

LLC’s, LLP’s and Partnerships

Want to Learn More? Questions? Contact Susannah Hunter in Development at 610-828-2407 or susan-nahh@pmfs1780.org

PMFS Auction 2009 a Great Success By Katie Hall

On Saturday, March 7, 2009, Plymouth Meeting Friends School hosted its sixth biennial Silent and Live Auction in the College Rotunda at Chestnut Hill College. We accomplished many things this year, including a record attendance of 196, making this truly a community-building event. In addition, the 2009 PMFS auction netted $24,500! These funds will go toward a new SMART Board™, as well as towards a new driveway to Journey’s End, a safety enhancement that is part of the new building project. The PMFS auction is the school's largest fundraiser as well as a celebratory gathering of current parents, grandparents, faculty, alumni parents, members of Meeting, alumni, School Committee members and friends of the school. We are indebted to the entire PMFS community who helped to make the auction a success in 2009. Thank you for your time, talents and prized posses-sions that you so freely gave in order to make the auction the largest ever – a record-setting 182 items! We would especial-ly like to thank the auction committee who volunteered to help organize, set-up, and run this grand event. The Auction Committee included steve Arms, Jenney sweeney, michele Yost, laura craig, Anderson delone, cindy toso, mira rabin, rick Atkins, frank Hoke, melinda tatum-Kaiser, Kasey cahill, and catherine murdock. Special thanks to Joyce colzani and lys Arms for volunteering to co-chair this enormous event. Your amazing energy, enthusiasm, dedication, humor and organization made this year’s auction a success – you have our sincere gratitude!

Auctiongoers Frumi Cohen (left), Noa Kuzma (center), and Carol Rabinowitz (right) enjoyed a fun-filled evening at the PMFS Auction 2009.

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