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rooklyn Friends School (BFS) is an independent, college preparatory Quaker school serving a culturally diverse educational community of approximately 600 students, ages 20 months through 12th grade. Founded in 1867 by The Brooklyn Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, BFS is guided by the ideals of acceptance, compassion, equality and non-violence.

Located in an eight-story Art Deco building in downtown Brooklyn, the school has 40 spacious classrooms, four science labs, two libraries with more than 20,000 volumes, two dance studios, a ceramics studio, two gymnasiums, two media centers, a 300-seat theater/meeting house, a woodshop, a cafeteria, and roof-top playground. In addition, Upper School classes are held in a separate building a block away, where there are 14 classrooms, a media center, college counseling office, and physics laboratory.

BFS Mission Statement: Brooklyn Friends School provides a college preparatory program serving students from Preschool through Grade 12. It is committed to educating each student intellectually, aesthetically, physically, and spiritually in a culturally diverse community. Guided by the Quaker principles of truth, simplicity, and peaceful resolution of conflict, Brooklyn Friends School offers each student a challenging education that develops intellectual abilities and ethical and social values to support a productive life of leadership and service.

enrollment | faculty | tuition | community service | curriculum | arts | athletics | student activities

ENROLLMENT

BFS seeks to admit students of diverse backgrounds and talents who will contribute to a community that values intellectual curiosity, mutual respect and cooperation. New students are admitted to all grades on the basis of previous academic records, personal interviews, testing and recommendations. Application should be made in the fall for the following September, although later applications may be considered if vacancies exist.

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FACULTY

Head of School Michael Nill is a graduate of Fordham (BA), Johns Hopkins (MA), Teacher’s College, Columbia University (MA) and the University of Texas-Austin (Ph.D.). A large percentage of our 130 faculty hold advanced degrees.

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TUITION

In 2007-2008, tuition ranges from $9,300 for part-time Preschool to $27,400 for grades 7-12.

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COMMUNITY SERVICE

Brooklyn Friends School has a long-standing commitment to community service as an integral element of our preschool through grade 12 curriculum. As an outgrowth of that commitment, we incorporate four days of community service in the academic calendar for group projects. In addition, each Upper School student is expected to complete approximately 150 hours of community service. Many of our graduates continue to pursue community service in their adult lives. More about Community Service at BFS.

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CURRICULUM

The PRESCHOOL (20 months to four years old) curriculum fosters independence and the development of language and self-expression through the arts, dance and music. Socialization, physical-motor and social-emotional growth are important aspects of the program. The BFS Preschool Program was founded in 1985 and is based on play as “the work of young children.”

LOWER SCHOOL (K to grade 4) students work in reading, writing, bookmaking, spelling, proofreading, handwriting, mathematics, social studies and science, in addition to instruction in art, dance, music, library skills, physical education, woodworking and Japanese language and culture.

In the MIDDLE SCHOOL (grades 5 to 8), fifth and sixth graders work with a classroom teacher for reading, language arts and social studies. Department specialists teach science, math and foreign language. Students begin the study of Latin in the fifth grade and thereafter may opt to study French, Latin or Spanish. Students may take two languages in Middle School: Latin, and French or Spanish.

• Seventh and eighth grade classes are fully departmentalized. The humanities program includes studies in ancient history, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration and American history.

• The science curriculum covers the earth and life sciences, chemistry and physics. Environmental studies and discussions of new technologies enrich the program.

• Middle School students also receive instruction in computer science, health and human relations, the arts and physical education.

The UPPER SCHOOL embraces a global perspective on teaching and learning, viewing New York as a “classroom” and an exemplar of diversity. To further its global perspective, Brooklyn Friends offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. This internationally recognized program for high school juniors and seniors allows students to explore specific subjects with breadth and depth in six major areas. The curriculum encourages critical thinking through the study of traditional college preparatory curriculums while at the same time offering an international perspective. In addition, students are required to participate actively in creative activities and community service, complete an individual research project culminating in a 4,000-word extended essay, and take an interdisciplinary inquiry course that delves into the nature of knowledge.

• Eighty-five percent of the Upper School teachers have master’s degrees; eighty percent have been teaching for more than 15 years. The strong advisory system—in which selected teachers are advisors to a group of students on each grade level and remain with them through their upper school years—develops meaningful peer-to-peer and student-teacher relationships.

• Extracurricular activities: All students are encouraged to participate in student government, publications, the arts, athletics, service, and clubs. More than 50 percent of the student body plays in interscholastic sports (soccer, volleyball, cross-country, basketball, baseball, and softball). Students publish a literary magazine, newspaper, and yearbook. They stage annual musical, dramatic, and dance productions, exhibit at the all-school art show, and perform in several choral and music concerts every year. Every student belongs to a Senate Sub-Committee with a focus on such topics as peace and social action, diversity, Hispanic culture, and Model United Nations.

• Community service: The Upper School incorporates community service into the academic calendar for group projects, such as building homes with Habitat for Humanity and hands-on service in an area homeless shelter. In addition, each student must complete 150 hours of community service prior to graduation.

• Quaker values: Quaker Meeting for Worship is held weekly in the Upper School. Community members sit in silence, and if they feel moved to say something that will deepen and enrich the experience, they stand and speak. The practice of quieting the mind and opening the heart adds a spiritual dimension to the educational experience and encourages students to be thoughtful, active listeners. Students gain an intellectual understanding of Quakerism and world religions through required classes in religion, ethics, and Quakerism.

• Senior internship: The creative, cultural, and business resources of New York City provide unique opportunities for experiential learning and the senior internship program. Each May, seniors undertake a 5-week internship that fulfills their interests and aspirations. Placements have included the Brooklyn Museum of Art, CNN, Fox News, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Vanity Fair magazine, Amnesty International, Weill Cornell Medical Center, the Legal Aid Society, and the New York State Supreme Court.

• Graduation requirements: English (4 years), Mathematics (4 years), Social Sciences (3 years), Lab Science (3 years), Foreign Language (3 years, 3 consecutive levels), Visual and/or Performing Arts (3 years), Quakerism (1 semester), Religion/Ethics (1 semester), Computer & Media Literacy (1 semester), Study Skills (1 year), Health/Life Skills (1 semester), Physical Education (4 years), Senior Internship, Community Service (150 hours).

• Brooklyn Friends graduates are accepted into the nation’s leading colleges and universities. Graduates from 2004 to 2007 matriculated at the following colleges: Alfred University (2), Allegheny College, Amherst College (3), Arcadia University (2), Art Institute of Chicago, Bard College (7), Bates College, Bennington College (3), Boston College, Boston University, Brooklyn College , Brown University (2), Bryn Mawr College, Carleton College, Colgate University, Columbia University (2), Connecticut College (2), CUNY Honors College, Dartmouth College, University of Delaware, Denison University, Dickinson College, Dominican College, Drew University (2), Drexel University (2), Duke University, Earlham College (2), Eckerd College (2), University of Edinburgh (Scotland), Elon University, Emory University, Emory and Henry College, Emerson College (3), Fordham University (2), Franklin and Marshall College, George Washington University (3), Georgetown University (2), Goucher College (3), Guilford College (2), Hamilton College, Harvard University, Haverford College, Hofstra University, College of the Holy Cross (2), Ithaca College (2), Ithaca Conservatory, John Jay College, Kingsborough CC, LaSalle College, Lehigh University, Lincoln University (2), Long Island University, Loyola University of New Orleans, Macalester College, Manhattanville College, Marianopolis College (Canada) (2), Marlboro College, University of Maryland, Maryland Institute College of Art (5), McDaniel College (2), University of Miami, Middlebury College, Mississippi State University, Monmouth College, Morgan State University (2), Muhlenberg College, New School University, New York University (2), UNC Chapel Hill, Oberlin College (3), Ohio University, University of Pennsylvania, Pitzer College (2), Rhode Island School of Design, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Roger Williams College, Rutgers University, Sacred Heart University, University of San Francisco, Sarah Lawrence College (2), Savannah College of Art and Design, Skidmore College (5), Smith College (2), Spelman College, University of St. Andrews (Scotland), St. Lawrence University, SUNY Albany  , SUNY Buffalo (3), SUNY Geneseo (3), SUNY Purchase, Syracuse University, Temple University (2), Towson University, Trinity College, Trinity University, Tulane University (2), Vassar College (2), University of Vermont (6), Washington University in St. Louis, Wells College, Wesleyan University, Wheaton College (Mass.), Wingate College.

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ARTS

The visual and performing arts are an integral compoment of the curriculum. Classes include drawing and painting, ceramics, video, photography, dance, string orchestra, jazz ensemble, drama, chorus, musical theater, and theater design.

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ATHLETICS

Student athletes compete interscholastically in soccer, volleyball, cross country, basketball, baseball, and softball. Many students also participate in dance, aerobics, tai chi, yoga and weight training.

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STUDENT ACTIVITIES

• The Upper School Senate, consisting of elected representatives from each grade, makes recommendations to the administration and conducts monthly “town meetings,” organizes dances and other social events.

• The Middle School Student Council represents the Middle School in governing matters.

• Students publish a literary magazine, poetry journals, newspapers and a yearbook.

• Other activities in the Middle School and Upper School include the Model United Nations, student judiciary, El Club Latino, Social Action Committee, and Building Committee.

• All students in grades 3-12 take overnight trips as part of the Outdoor Education Program and the foreign language curriculum.

• Popular Early Arrival, Afterschool and Summer program options are available.

• BFS hosts an annual, international Bridge Film Festival, open to students at Quaker school (and Quaker Meetings) worldwide.

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