student life
Dear future Friends student,
My name is Sassy Mosley-Wise; I attended Friends School from sixth to eighth grade, and I’d like to explain what it is like to be the “new kid” at Friends. Starting sixth grade at a new school seemed difficult at first, since most of the kids in my grade had been together since kindergarten. I was nervous because I felt like I was invading a tight-knit group. But thanks to my peers, friends, teachers, and admissions staff, the transition into Friends School was extremely smooth.
A moment when I knew everything was going to be okay was on the second day. I walked into the Meeting For Worship room to start morning meeting. As I was putting my binder up against the wall I bumped into a peer. As I was apologizing, she just kept smiling. Then she took my hand and sat me right down next to her. She introduced me to her friends closest to us in the circle. I will never forget her kindness.
I always felt like the work I did was beneficial and important to someone besides myself.
Looking back at my time at Friends, my favorite part about being a student was the work, specifically the service work that I did alongside my eighth grade class. I spent three years at Friends School, and all three years I always felt like the work I did was beneficial and important to someone besides myself. My teachers were constantly saying that just by completing my homework and demonstrating to them what I understand (and what I don’t) they could help me understand it better.
In eighth grade, we spent the majority of our year researching and working with the homeless community with organizations like the Glide Foundation and the St. Anthony’s Foundation. Our teachers, and a few special guests, helped my grade break down stereotypes about the community in group discussions and trained us to do volunteer work at kitchens and churches. On one of our walks through the Tenderloin, I remember a classmate saying that they just met a man who had not seen anyone smile or say his name in years. I remember feeling shocked by the difference a smile can make.
Along with the amazing service work we did outside of class, we did amazing work in the classroom as well. Every subject taught me a valuable life skill. For example, humanities with Jodi Pickering taught me extreme organization and analysis skills. Science with Anil Chopra gave me great experience in collaboration as well as good communication skills. I’ve taken all of these experiences from these classes with me into high school and into life.
Without San Francisco Friends School, I don’t think I would be as technologically savvy, organized, or prepared for high school. I know it may sound silly, but as a high school student I still find myself mentally referencing lessons that I learned during my time at Friends.
San Francisco Friends School is an incredible place to discover yourself as a learner and as a person.
Sassy Mosley-Wise
SFFS Class of 2016
“Friends kids are kind and empathetic and can read a room. They know how to listen with care and have comfort around difficulty. They know themselves and are also able to hold their intellectual and personal lives in context within a larger world.”
~Read about our High School Transition program
students
• 438 students total: 221 Lower School and 216 Middle School
• 57% students of color
• 27% students with tuition adjustment
• 6% LGBTQ families
• 7% single parents, 3% adoptive families
• 10% Spanish-speaking families
• 34 zip codes represented
our mission
At San Francisco Friends School, students learn in a community grounded in the Quaker values of reflection, integrity, peaceful problem-solving and stewardship. Our teachers challenge students with a dynamic curriculum that inspires curiosity, cooperation and hard work. We teach children to listen to all voices and to trust their own. We engage with the world around us with kindness and conviction, working toward the Quaker ideal of a caring and just society.