A Message from the Friends Schools League Heads of School - January 11, 2010

Moorestown Friends School is a charter member of the Friends Schools League. Below is a message being sent to all Friends Schools League school communities:

January 11, 2010

Dear Friends Schools League Families,

We are writing to inform you of some significant results and ongoing projects which are part of an ambitious strategic planning process initiated by the Heads and Athletic Directors of the nine schools comprising the Friends Schools League at the start of the 2008-09 school year. As leaders in our communities, we affirm the vital role that athletics play in educating the whole child. Our students benefit from the philosophy and ethic of respect, rooted in Quaker testimonies, that characterize our league. While we appreciate and enjoy the collegiality and personal connections that exist among our schools, we recognize that the league has grown and the role and landscape of athletics in schools and the larger world have changed since the FSL was formed. In order to ensure that we continue to provide an environment characterized by healthy competition, ethical behavior, and sportsmanship, it is critical that we clarify the distinctive vision and shared values to which we all aspire; as one member of our group put it, “to make explicit what is implicit.”

In the course of our meetings over the past sixteen months we have identified many important issues requiring attention and action, including league size and structure, parity, governance, and financial and environmental sustainability. However, we have agreed that our first priority should be to review, reaffirm, and articulate the shared values that have brought us together as a community of schools and that continue to define and distinguish our league. Accordingly, after careful review of our league bylaws and philosophy statements and much generative discussion in small and large groups, we have written and approved a new Friends Schools League Mission Statement and a revised set of Sportsmanship Guidelines which define our expectations for all involved in FSL athletic contests. We plan to use this mission statement as a means to educate all members of our communities; as a lens through which to examine emergent issues, conflicts, and challenges; and as a guide in planning for the future.  

The Heads and Athletic Directors have agreed to share the attached statements with all members of our school communities and to re-commit, going forward, to these tenets. On behalf of our young people, we invite you to join us in actively promoting these values and living this mission. Beyond educating our communities, the next steps in our strategic planning process will include an examination of FSL leadership and governance, sustainability, length of seasons, transportation, and relationships with other leagues.  We will keep you apprised of our progress.

Friends Schools League Mission Statement (January 2010)
Friends Schools League Sportsmanship Guidelines (January 2010)

With appreciation of your support,

Nancy Starmer - Head of School, The George School
David Felsen - Head of School, Friends Central School
Dick Wade - Head of School, Germantown Friends School
Rich Nourie - Head of School, Abington Friends School
John Baird - Head of School, Westtown School
Rose Hagan - Head of School, Friends Select School
Larry Van Meter - Head of School, Moorestown Friends School
Steve Piltch - Head of School, The Shipley School
Jeremy Irwin - Principal, Boys School, Academy of The New Church
Susan Odhner - Principal, Girls School, Academy of The New Church

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