Quaker-based education for grades five and six opening Fall 2023
New Independent School in Phoenix
Opening in fall 2023, Phoenix Friends Middle School is an independent school arising from the faith and practice of the Religious Society of Friends (also called Friends or Quakers) and built upon high standards that have long made Friends schools exceptional. Quaker education pairs academic rigor with values-based learning while developing capacities in service, meditative reflection, and peaceful problem solving. Students at a Friends school engage with the arts, take part in service-learning projects, are encouraged toward a healthy and active lifestyle, and develop deep connections with each other and the wider world.
The City Is Our Classroom
Learning is not a cloistered activity. Beyond our classroom walls and the schoolyard are cultural and scientific institutions with abundant resources for project-based learning, team study, and hands-on activities. At the Phoenix Friends Middle School most instruction and discussion will take place within the school building. However, PFMS is designed to operate in the greater community and to take our students into partner institutions for experiences that complement and expand our in-school curriculum.
For example, imagine afternoons in the Horticulture Center at the Desert Botanical Garden learning botanical classifications or a series of classes at the Heard Museum exploring Native American art and culture. Imagine workshops at Childsplay Theatre that reveal the complex technical devices that support onstage actions. Imagine participating in an archaeological dig.
Service learning is another way to engage the larger community. PFMS students will have choices of service projects and the opportunity to work as groups with various populations, be they the elderly or refugees, or by helping remove invasive plant species from public parks.
PFMS is a small school with a city-wide campus to explore, study and serve.
Our Mission
Drawing on Quaker values and educational best practices, we nurture the innate goodness, desire to learn, and special gifts in all of us. Our vibrant curriculum engages young minds through project-based experiences in the classroom and the community. Making meaningful connections across subjects from the sciences to the arts, we encourage the deep learning, skills, and understanding needed to thrive in middle school, high school, and beyond.
The Quaker Testimonies:
- SPICES - Quakers agree to a core set of values known as testimonies. The acronym SPICES is commonly used by Quaker schools. Our students have defined each below and are committed to upholding these values in our school community.
- SIMPLICITY - Quakers believe that if we are always trying to get better things, we can forget to be good people. Sometimes acquiring a lot of fancy things, clothes, and toys can get in the way of doing our work.
- PEACE - Quakers believe that war and violence do not solve disagreements. These things only make people suffer. Quakers try to settle all their arguments without using weapons or words to hurt others. Quakers believe that world peace begins with each of us. Children in Quaker schools are taught the skills of non-violent conflict resolution.
- INTEGRITY - Integrity means being truthful and always trying to do a good job. It means saying what we mean and meaning what we say.
- COMMUNITY - Quakers believe that it is important to be a good neighbor, helping people around us. Building a community takes many forms, including having fun with each other.
- EQUALITY - Quakers believe there is that of God in everyone. Everyone is created equal. This means everyone has the same human rights and should be treated fairly. It also means we should treat people the way we want to be treated.
- STEWARDSHIP - To live with simplicity and integrity, we need to do a good job taking care of the things we own and use. This means taking good care of the earth. Quakers believe it is important to leave the world a better place.
Universal and Timeless Principles
Quakers believe in strong encouragement of the individual. Each person has the capacity to be good, the ability to see the Light of God, and the ability to put that truth to good use. Thus, Quakers provide an exceptional and unique learning environment. Students who graduate from a Quaker school walk away with a strong sense of social understanding, skills to deal with adversity, respect for others, and a strong sense of self-worth so that they have the power needed to succeed.
Our Values
- TRUTH - Quaker Faith and Practice is rooted in a yearning to seek truth in all its forms. Quakers emphasize the ability of every person to contribute to our understanding of truth, and the ability for truth to be revealed from many sources: observation, scholarship, self-awareness, inner inspiration, religion, and even from the mysterious insights we might receive while sitting in silence. We see learning as a dialogue to which students are as welcomed and encouraged to contribute to as teachers. Diversity enhances dialogue, both because it helps us to understand the human element of beliefs we disagree with and because the interaction of different perspectives can lead to new ideas and solutions that are better for all of us. At PFMS, we strive to include a variety of perspectives in our curriculum and to help students learn to effectively articulate their thoughts and feelings and understand the heart of what others are saying.
- SIMPLICITY - Simplicity is about putting first things first and not allowing material desires to keep us from our spiritual calling to live the best lives we can. PFMS students wear uniforms to help eliminate material distractions and allow our students’ inner characters to shine.
- PEACE – As one of the historic peace churches, Quakers have long stood against war and violence. But Quakers aim to go further than this, by settling their disagreements without using hurtful words and in a manner that takes to heart the concerns of all sides. PFMS students learn skills for non-violent conflict resolution, including practice with the Quaker model of consensus decision-making., These principles can be used in solving disagreements one-on-one or in a group and represent a departure from the 51% majority model of decision-making that is so prominent in our society.
- INTEGRITY - Integrity means being truthful and doing our best to move closer to living out our highest principles. At PFMS, students are encouraged to think about and speak on their values and are guided by staff and faculty in living them out more coherently and effectively.
- COMMUNITY - Quakers believe that it is important to be a good neighbor and that, like the explanation given by Christ, the call to neighborliness extends beyond our peer groups. The PFMS community is one that is welcoming to people of all backgrounds and that aims to makeall feel valued and included. This cultivates a vibrant campus life and, through engagement off campus, extends to our city and to the rest of the world.
- EQUALITY – A defining element of Quaker life and practice is the belief there is that of God in everyone. We aim to engage with others in a way that is fair and open to all talents and skills one may offer. At PFMS, we ask students to keep in mind the Golden Rule, and we expose students to as many relevant perspectives as possible in order to build empathy and understanding. We also believe that students should be treated with the same value as adults, and they are empowered to participate in school decisions that are relevant to student life.
- STEWARDSHIP - Stewardship involves caring for individuals, for the community, for other living beings, and for the planet. At PFMS, students have the opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom to service-learning activities outside the classroom. Community partner programs challenge students to think critically about the needs of the local community and environment, to extrapolate to the wider world, and to gain real life experience working to address those needs.
Founder's Letter
A Friends School in Phoenix is a dream of mine, a goal worth pursuing over many years with the help of many parents and educators, concerned local citizens, and advisors from existing Quaker schools. The Phoenix Friends Middle School is a school based on Quaker values and Quaker education models. Our new school holds the answers to some of the most pressing concerns of parents wanting a fully-rounded learning experience for their children. We help children grow into adults who are self-motivated and responsible, who love learning and think creatively.
A Friends School in Phoenix is a dream of mine, a goal worth pursuing over many years with the help of many parents and educators, concerned local citizens, and advisors from existing Quaker schools. The Phoenix Friends Middle School is a school based on Quaker values and Quaker education models. Our new school holds the answers to some of the most pressing concerns of parents wanting a fully-rounded learning experience for their children. We help children grow into adults who are self-motivated and responsible, who love learning and think creatively.
Some of the conflicts of our times appear cultural and political, and these divisions are playing out in our schools and at very early ages. It is our belief that values instilled early in life will lead to more mindful consideration of complexity in our society and the challenges facing all young adults. At the core of Quaker education is a fundamental respect for the equality of all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and religion. On this foundation, we model new ways to interact, resolve conflicts, and achieve unity as a group.
Here are some of the ways in which PFMS practices lead to new outcomes:
- Bullying and abusive, demeaning language (now rampant) are concerns of all parents. We work to limit, even eliminate, physical violence and the violence expressed through words meant to hurt, devalue, and shame fellow students. Respect for all individuals means acting and living in keeping with this belief.
- At PFMS, we employ the Quaker Decision-making Process, a basic toolkit for learning to resolve conflict and decide issues affecting the small group or the entire school. The 51% rule, a rule based on one person, one vote, is a long-standing practice of majority rule that means one group (or person) "wins" while others "lose." Outcomes framed as a "win" or a "loss" lead to an endless cycle of conflicts that divide individuals and groups. Quakers reach group decisions without voting through a process of listening, reflection, discussions, and agreement, a process more like mediation than majority rule. PFMS employs this practice.
I invite you to consider the benefits of study at Phoenix Friends Middle School. We are a different approach to education with different outcomes. We are accepting inquiries and applications for grades 5 and 6 for classes starting late August 2022. If you wish to consult with me or others in our planning group, please email or phone us directly at PFMS: info@phoenixfriendsschool.org.
Respectfully,
Willard E. White
Survey
Phoenix Friends Middle School will welcome grades 5 and 6 beginning fall 2023, adding one grade per year until we offer grades 5 through 8. Any feedback or experiences you share with us will aid us in developing our curriculum and school offerings. Thank you for taking the time to complete this brief survey.
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