Princeton Friends School

We love celebrating the many paths our alumni take after they leave Princeton Friends School, and we’re especially excited to congratulate alum Charles Rosenberg ‘23 on having his film selected for the 2026 Princeton Student Film Festival!

Charles’s film was 1 of 10 featured at last night’s festival screening alongside outstanding work from young filmmakers across the country and around the world. What a wonderful accomplishment and a testament to the creativity, curiosity, and storytelling that continue to grow long after our students leave our classrooms.

Visit to watch the film through August 6th!
➡️ https://psff2026.eventive.org/films

Congratulations, Charles! We can’t wait to see where your creativity takes you next.

Appreciation to Princeton Public Library NJ for hosting the competition and Town Topics for coverage!

Enjoy some of the blooming colors around campus!

Thanks to the incredible work of our wonderful science teaching team and students all year long, we have been enjoying the blooms across campus this summer.

Teachers have been tending our garden since June with support from parents and campers, and our Director of Facilities has been helping keep the plants across campus happy in this extreme heat.

Leadership in a Friends school is unlike leadership anywhere else. It asks us to balance vision with deep listening, lead through relationships, and keep our mission and values at the center of every decision.

We’re proud to celebrate our Director of Teaching & Learning, Melissa Marinari, on completing the Friends Council on Education’s two-year Leadership Institute.

For her culminating action research, Melissa explored a question at the heart of Princeton Friends School: How can we more intentionally and coherently live into our progressive and Quaker educational roots?

Through collaborative inquiry with faculty, she helped us develop a shared definition of progressive education, introduced curriculum storyboarding to make our philosophy more visible in teaching and learning, and created space for meaningful reflection about what it means to educate the whole child.

One of the most visible outcomes of this work was the launch of Minimester—an interdisciplinary, inquiry-driven experience where students learned through curiosity, collaboration, outdoor exploration, reflection, and real-world engagement. More than a new program, Minimester became a powerful example of what happens when our daily practices fully reflect our mission and values.

Melissa’s work reminds us that schools grow stronger when educators remain learners themselves. Through thoughtful reflection, collaboration, and research, we continue building an educational experience where every child can thrive.

Congratulations, Melissa, and thank you for your extraordinary leadership.

Melissa Marinari Friends Council on Education

This week, members of our team joined approximately 150 educators from across Friends schools for the inaugural Friends Forward Conference, hosted by Abington Friends School.

Woven together by themes of belonging and beloved community, the conference invited participants into some of the most important conversations in education today, urging us to
critically examine our practices to create learning communities where every adult and student can experience a deep and meaningful sense of belonging.

Across inspiring keynote addresses, thought-provoking breakout sessions, worship sharing in many forms, and informal opportunities to connect with Friends educators the conference embodied the very community it sought to cultivate.

We return to Princeton Friends inspired, challenged, and energized by new ideas, new relationships, and a renewed commitment to creating a school where our values are not taught, but lived in action every day.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to the Friends Forward steering committee for envisioning and organizing this remarkable (annual!!) gathering, to the Abington Friends School community for their generous hospitality, and to every presenter and participant who contributed their wisdom, curiosity, and care.

Thank you for creating a space that reminded us what is possible when Friends educators come together.

Let our spring project become your summer fun!

It all started with reading Not a Box by Antoinette Portis and a dozen guitar shipping boxes from this year’s instruments.

Throughout the spring term, our kindergarteners tapped into their creative selves—driven by stewardship and imagination— and transformed these boxes into extraordinary creations using all recycled materials (and a few remaining craft supplies and some paint, of course!).

Watch the video to see what they became and let it spark some creative magic for you! Before you recycle that next box, pause and ask: What could it become?

We’d love to see what your family creates this summer!

⏰ Just 24 hours left to double your gift, thanks to the support of our class of 2019 alum families.

Tomorrow at midnight, our year-end fundraising campaign comes to a close.

Every gift helps make Princeton Friends the place where children are known, challenged, encouraged, and inspired to become thoughtful, compassionate people who make a difference in the world.

💚 If you’ve been meaning to give, now is the time. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar through June 30, doubling your impact.

Help us finish the year strong. Every gift matters.
Give through the link in our bio.

Thanks to the generosity of families from the Class of 2019, gifts from alumni families made before June 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $8,000.

Every day, we’re reminded of what makes Princeton Friends School so special: curious learners, caring community members, and young people growing into exactly the kind of leaders our world needs.

Every gift to the Friends Fund helps sustain the experiences that make a Princeton Friends education possible, from financial aid and outdoor learning to the arts, community traditions, and the daily work of nurturing thoughtful, compassionate young people.

Whether your gift is matched or not, your support matters. Together, we ensure that Princeton Friends remains a place where strong childhoods become extraordinary outcomes.

Join us as we close out the year strong. Give by June 30 and help us finish the year with momentum.

Moving Up Morning was a joyful success!

Students in Preschool through 3rd grade spent time visiting the classrooms and teachers they’ll be learning with next year, getting a chance to explore new spaces, ask questions, and begin imagining the adventures ahead.

Meanwhile, students in grades 4–7 came together for team-building activities, strengthening friendships and preparing for the transitions and opportunities that await them next year. And our 8th graders spent part of the morning practicing for Moving On, taking time to reflect on their Princeton Friends journey as they prepare for Saturday’s celebration.

As one school year comes to a close, new possibilities are already beginning to take shape.

Field Day vibes!

Our 8th graders took the lead, designing and facilitating a day full of laughter, teamwork, and friendly competition for the entire school community. Students rotated through a variety of stations, including an obstacle course complete with a slip-and-slide, a twist on Red Light, Green Light, the Museum Game, Tails, a sponge race, a three-legged race, and a water balloon toss.

Beyond the fun, Field Day showcased the leadership, creativity, and care our oldest students have developed during their time at Princeton Friends School. It was a joyful opportunity for students of all ages to play together, cheer one another on, and celebrate the relationships that make our community so special.