November 19, 2010

Dear Friends Schools League Families,

As we complete a highly successful fall in the Friends Schools League and begin the exciting winter season, the Heads and Athletic Directors of the League's nine schools want to thank you for your support and to remind you of the distinctive mission and shared values which bring us together as a community of schools.

As leaders in our schools, we affirm the vital role that athletics plays in educating the whole child. Our students benefit from the philosophy and ethic of respect, rooted in Quaker testimonies, that characterize our league. We are continuing to work together to create healthy athletic experiences for all participants, to sustain and communicate the mission, vision, and identity of the Friends Schools League, and to promote the long-term viability of the league.

The Friends Schools League mission, which was rewritten and approved as part of our Strategic Plan, is central to our identity and our goals as a league. As one School Head observed at a recent meeting, it represents "something greater to which we are all accountable." We are using the mission statement as a means to educate all members of our communities, as a lens through which to examine emergent issues and challenges, and as a guide to planning in the future.

The Heads and Athletic Directors have agreed to share the mission statement and sportsmanship guidelines 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.

With appreciation of your support,

Nancy Starmer - Head of School - 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