Brooklyn Friends School

☀️🏕️ Camp Brooklyn at Brooklyn Friends School: The Ultimate Summer Adventure! 🎨🌊

Looking for a fun, engaging, and joy-filled summer experience for your child? Camp Brooklyn is where creativity, adventure, and discovery come together! Located in Downtown Brooklyn, we welcome campers ages 3 through rising 4th graders into a warm and inclusive community where every child is celebrated.

🏀 Team-building & active play
🔬 STEM projects & hands-on learning
🎭 Arts, crafts, and creative expression
💦 Rooftop water play & summer fun
🚍 Exciting weekly field trips to beaches, museums, zoos & more!

Every day is an opportunity for exploration, friendship, and new discoveries. Join us for a summer your child will never forget!

🔗 https://campbrooklyn.nyc/
📧 [email protected]
📍 375 Pearl Street, Brooklyn, NY

At this year’s BFS Gala: Defying Gravity – A Night in Oz on Wednesday, April 9, you’ll have the rare chance to bid on an unforgettable private getaway to Tulum, Mexico during our Live Auction! 🌿🏝️

🌟 What’s Included:
🏡 Seven nights in a stunning beachfront villa (4BR, 3BA, private pool, AC, WiFi)
👨‍🍳 Three chef-prepared meals daily featuring authentic Mexican & Yucatecan flavors
🍹 Unlimited beverages for a seamless, all-inclusive experience
🌊 Optional beachside massages, guided nature tours, and private fishing excursions

📅 Trip must be booked within 12 months and taken within 18 months of purchase.
🚫 Blackout dates: Christmas & New Year’s weeks.

Join us for a night of celebration, philanthropy, and extraordinary experiences. If you haven’t grabbed your gala tickets yet, now’s the time! 🎟️✨ Get yours at the link and get ready to bid! Link: https://www.boostmyschool.com/orgs/brooklynfriends/events/bfsgala25/register/step-1

✨ A Broadway Experience Like No Other – Only at the BFS Gala! ✨

One of the most exciting moments of BFS Gala: Defying Gravity – A Night in Oz? The Live Auction, featuring exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences—including a Wicked opportunity you won’t want to miss! 🎭💫

📅 Date: Wednesday, April 9
⏰ Time: 7–10pm
📍 Location: Brooklyn Winery

🎶 Auction Spotlight: Wicked 🎶
Thanks to BFS alum Jonathan Bach ’15, Assistant Stage Manager for Wicked on Broadway, you and three guests will enjoy:
⭐ Four premium seats to Wicked
⭐ A private backstage tour with Jonathan for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look
⭐ A signed poster & playbill, autographed by the entire cast

Jonathan’s journey from BFS to Broadway is an inspiration, and now he's giving our community the chance to step into the magic! ✨

You’ll have to be at the Gala to bid on this incredible experience—secure your spot now! 🎟️ Link: https://www.boostmyschool.com/orgs/brooklynfriends/events/bfsgala25/register/step-1

BFS in Ghana 2025 🇬🇭🌍

Earlier this week, a group of our Upper School students and colleagues arrived in Accra, Ghana, ready to engage in an incredible educational journey. Through immersive experiences, they are deepening their compassion, curiosity, and confidence—embracing what it means to let their lives speak. Stay tuned for more!

✨ BFS Spring Gala Tickets – Early Bird Ends TONIGHT! ✨

Join us on Wednesday, April 9 at Brooklyn Winery for Defying Gravity: A Night in Oz! 🌟 Celebrate our community and support BFS at this unforgettable event.

🎟 Early Bird Special: Save $75 – but hurry! The deadline is TONIGHT, Saturday, March 15, at midnight!

Want to get involved? Donate an auction item or sponsor the event!

🔗 Get your tickets and support the event at the link now:

Defying Gravity: A Night in Oz | Brooklyn Friends School BFS Gala 2025. Join all the attendees going to Defying Gravity: A Night in Oz. OK, BFS families—it’s time to get Wicked! On the evening of Wednesday, April 9, 2025, our community will come together for a truly great and powerful celebration—our annual Spring Gala! Our theme for this year is De...

We’re thrilled to celebrate current Pitzer student Willa Umansky ’23, who just won First Place, Best Editorial at the California College Media Association’s Excellence in Student Media Awards! 🏆

This award is a testament to the power of fearless reporting, student activism, and unwavering commitment to truth. Your voices matter. Your words have an impact. And this is what it means to live a life that speaks.

The Middle School has been having a blast with Student Council’s dress-up day series every Thursday leading up to spring break! 🎉✨ Yesterday’s theme: Dress Like a Teacher Day. Spotted in the halls—Tommy and Kathleen… or are they?

Joy in motion! 💙 Our Red Room Early Childhood students are all smiles as they run, explore, and play together on our Pearl Street rooftop playground.

Kindergarten students are diving into an exciting introduction to Blue Bots with Lower School Educational Technology Integrator Chris Kavanaugh! Through hands-on play, they’re exploring the foundations of coding and programming—designing pathways for the Blue Bots to follow while building key computational thinking skills like pattern recognition, sequencing, and problem-solving—all without screens! 🎉💡This pilot experience reflects our commitment to integrating technology, creativity, and exploration into learning. Watching our young learners engage with curiosity and joy is a wonderful reminder that coding isn’t just about computers—it’s about thinking, discovering, and creating together!

Today, Brooklyn Friends was honored to welcome back Solaris from The Garden: Abolitionist Bookstore & Community Well, for a special Lower School Assembly! 🌿✨ Over the past few weeks, Solaris has led powerful collections and poetry workshops across our Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, bringing our Black History Month theme to life: "Rooted in Resilience—Nurturing Ourselves, Innovating the Future, and Honoring Legacy." Through storytelling, reflection, and creativity, our students explored the power of words and history, deepening their connection to community and self-expression. Thank you, Solaris, for your wisdom and light!

🎉 Congratulations to Brooklyn Friends School alum Emmitt Sklar ‘17 on recently being named to the Davidson College Board of Trustees! Emmitt’s journey exemplifies what it means to let their life speak—leading with purpose, service, and a commitment to community. Read more about Emmitt at the Davidson College announcement at the link: https://www.davidson.edu/news/2024/10/22/hon-anthony-foxx-93-chair-davidson-college-board-trustees

🎉✨ Celebrating Dylan D. '27 ✨🎉

Dylan, a 10th grader at BFS, recently opened a photography exhibition at The Scion Project, a space that highlights both renowned and emerging artists. His striking black-and-white photographs will be on display through the end of April.
Reflecting on his artistic journey at BFS, Dylan shared: "Mr. C has influenced my photography journey throughout my time at BFS. I took his class in 7th grade, and ever since, I have stayed in touch with him—he has watched me grow as a photographer. This year, as a sophomore, I was in his class again, and he inspired me to create a signature style of photography. My time at BFS has also inspired me to tell a story or send a message through a series of pictures. Since 9th grade, my pictures have always carried a deeper meaning."

We are so proud of you, Dylan! 📸💙

🌍 Lives that Speak: Dylan Tran ’22 🇪🇬

“Studying abroad in Egypt has been life-changing. I've gained a deeper understanding of its culture and history while using Arabic daily—whether exploring Cairo, bargaining with vendors, or ordering food. I’m grateful to my BFS teachers for inspiring my love of languages and new cultures.”
Now studying abroad from Columbia University, Dylan is embracing the world—one experience at a time. ✨

Celebrating International Women’s Day at Brooklyn Friends School 💙✨

Brooklyn Friends School exists today because of the vision and determination of women. Imagined and founded by the Brooklyn Women's Preparative Meeting, a group of women Quakers committed to education, BFS has upheld their legacy since 1867. Our very first Head of School, Mary Haviland, helped shape our foundation, leading with the values of equity, lifelong learning, and community.

Today, we honor the generations of women who have built, led, and shaped BFS, as well as those who continue to inspire and drive change in our classrooms and beyond. Rooted in our mission and Quaker values, we are committed to uplifting voices, challenging injustice, and ensuring a future where all can thrive.

💙💛

Today, Maxine Simons ’19 joined the Upper School Feminist Club via Zoom from Chicago, where she works as an Account Executive for Membership Services at the Chicago Blackhawks! 🏒

After graduating from BFS, Maxine went on to study Sports Management at the University of Minnesota, combining her passion for sports with academics. During her conversation with the Feminist Club, she reflected on her journey as a woman in the sports industry and shared how she integrated her interests into her IB coursework—most notably by writing a math paper analyzing skill vs. luck in NHL and NBA seasons. 📊🏀🏒

Thank you, Maxine, for inspiring and empowering our students today!

On this National Speech and Debate Education Day, Brooklyn Friends School celebrates our first two students to earn membership in the National Honor Society —Karina S. ‘31 and Violet L. ‘30 —through the Middle School Panther Enrichment Program (PEP).

✨ Tonight’s the night! ✨ CHROMA: Dance Concert 2025 opens this evening, and we can’t wait to share this breathtaking performance with you! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsal—get ready for an unforgettable evening of movement, meaning, and color. 🎨

This year’s Dance Concert brings the intersection of color theory and color therapy to life through the art of dance. Just like our Meeting for Worship, CHROMA celebrates the beauty of individual expression within a shared, collective space—each dancer a unique hue, coming together in harmony. 🌈✨

🗓 Thursday, March 6 | 5:00 PM
🗓 Friday, March 7 | 7:00 PM

Don’t miss it! Reserve your seat: https://forms.gle/QqjvTDv5WWjs9Nve8

The BFS Jazz Band brought the house down at the Brooklyn Music School Middle School Jazz Festival this past Saturday! From rehearsals to the big performance, our students showcased incredible talent and dedication on stage. 🎷🥁🎺 Their hard work shined, earning high praise from festival judges. The only feedback? Keep pushing the musical boundaries! We can’t wait to see how far they’ll go. Bravo, musicians!