Sidwell Friends School

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Coordinates: 38°56′21″N 77°04′29″W / 38.939217°N 77.074628°W / 38.939217; -77.074628

Sidwell Friends School
Eluceat Omnibus Lux
(Latin: "Let the light shine out from all")
Location
Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., United States
Information
Type Private school
Established 1883
Head of school Tom Farquhar
Faculty 248
Enrollment 1,097
Information (202) 537-8100
Publications Horizon
(the student newspaper)
The Oat
(the satirical student newspaper)
Quarterly
(the art magazine)
Website Sidwell Friends School (SFS)

Sidwell Friends School is a highly selective Quaker private school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" (Let the light shine out from all), alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light. All Sidwell Friends students attend Quaker meeting for worship weekly.

The school's admissions process is merit-based. As documented on the school's website, it gives preference in admissions decisions to members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), but otherwise does not discriminate on the basis of religion. The school does accept vouchers under the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Described as "the Harvard of Washington's private schools",[1] the school has educated children of notable politicians, including those of several Presidents, and personalities. Both of United States President Barack Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia, and Vice President Joe Biden's grandchildren attend the school.[2] Previously, President Theodore Roosevelt's son Archibald, Richard Nixon's daughter Tricia, Bill Clinton's daughter Chelsea Clinton, and Vice President Al Gore's son, Albert Gore III, all graduated from Sidwell Friends.

Contents

History [edit]

Before moving to Wisconsin Avenue, Sidwell's campus was on I Street in downtown Washington and known as "Friends' Select School".[3] The Wisconsin Avenue property was first used for athletic fields while the campus was still downtown, with students shuttling between the two sites by streetcar.

Sidwell adopted its dress code in 1955. At the urging of the students, it dropped its dress code in the 1970s.

Since 2005, the Wisconsin Avenue campus has seen the completion of the LEED-certified Middle School; a new indoor athletic facility; underground parking garage; and two turf fields. A new Quaker Meeting House facility is located in the newly-renovated Arts Center.

Thomas B. Farquhar is the Head of School as of the 2012-2013 school year, after the retirement of former Head of School Bruce Stewart at the end of the 2008-2009 school year.[4]

Academics [edit]

The Sidwell Friends Upper School has a particularly strong English Department. In 2005, Sidwell's AP English Exam scores were the highest in the nation for all medium-sized schools (300–799 students in grades 10–12) offering the AP English exam.[5] Sidwell does not offer an AP English course.

All students must acquire at least 19 credits before graduating. Students are required to take four years of English, three years of mathematics, three years of history, two years of one foreign language, two years of science, and two years of art. In addition to this, all freshmen must take a full year Freshman Studies course.[6]

Sidwell has one of the region's strongest Chinese studies programs, with classes in Mandarin beginning in Lower School and extensive Chinese history courses offered in the Upper School. Every year the Sidwell Friends Upper School is host to two Chinese exchange students.

Sidwell is a member school of School Year Abroad.

Sidwell does not release a list of its graduates' college destinations. However, it does release a list to the parents of its current seniors, of the top 25 most attended institutions (in no particular order) over the last 5 years. The most recent list had such schools listed as Yale, Harvard, Penn, Brown, Georgetown, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern, Chicago, The University of Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, Duke, Wesleyan, Michigan, and Tufts.

Athletics [edit]

Sidwell's sports teams are known as the Quakers; their colors are maroon and gray. The Quakers compete in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference for boys' sports (after previously competing in the Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) until 1999) and the Independent School League (ISL) for girls' sports. Sidwell offers teams in Volleyball, Golf, Boys and Girls Cross Country, Football, Field Hockey, Girls and Boys Soccer, Boys and Girls Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling, Boys and Girls Tennis, Baseball, Boys and Girls Lacrosse, Boys and Girls Track, and Softball. Sidwell's athletic program is an excellent complement to the school's academic mission and has produced many athletes who have gone on to excel academically and athletically at the collegiate level.

Boys' cross country [edit]

Sidwell has a strong tradition in boys' cross country, including winning four consecutive conference championships under Head Coach Bill Wooden from 2006–2009. They produced the area's top runner, 2010 All-Met Athlete of the Year John McGowan '11,[7] who currently runs for Yale University.

Boys' soccer [edit]

Over the past decade, the Sidwell Friends Boys Soccer program has become one of the preeminent programs in the entire Washington, DC metro area. In fall, 2006, the boys' varsity soccer team compiled a 19-2 record and was recognized as #9 in the Washington Post Top Ten soccer schools in the metropolitan area. The 2007 Boys Varsity Soccer team again won the MAAC Boys' Soccer championship and achieved a second consecutive Washington Post Top Ten ranking, reaching #3 in the final poll with a 20-2 record. The 2008 team continued their recent success by winning the third consecutive MAAC title, and their 4th in 5 years, with an undefeated 16-0-1 record for the season. Again, the Quakers finished the season ranked #3 in the area by the Washington Post and #36 nationally by ESPNRise.com. The 2009 squad began the season ranked #22 in the country by ESPN.[8] In October 2009 the squad achieved a prestigious #1 Washington Post ranking. They also ended up ranked #47 in the country. Sidwell soccer alums have suited up at a number of top schools, including Maryland, Stanford, GW, Yale, Brown, Wesleyan University, Middlebury College, Bowdoin College, Swarthmore College, Pomona College, Harvard University, Washington University in St. Louis, Amherst College, Princeton University, and Williams College.

Football [edit]

Sidwell Friends has a century-long tradition of playing football, and currently plays in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Over the years, many Sidwell football players have gone on to play collegiate football at the Division I, I-AA (now FCS), and Division III level, including at Stanford, Wake Forest, Tulane, Navy, Indiana, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Georgetown.

Wrestling [edit]

The wrestling program at Sidwell has also been a success, taking 10th place in the national prep tournament in 2003, and winning the DC Classic, a competition among all DC private schools that compete in wrestling, in 2007 and 2008. In February 2008, the Boys Varsity Wrestling Team claimed their 7th "banner" (conference championship) in 9 years of participating in the MAAC. It was also their 4th straight banner. They established clear dominance, winning the tournament by over 100 points, and boasted 8 MAAC champions and one additional All-MAAC selection. In January 2009, the Sidwell Wrestling team had an impressive showing at the MAAC wrestling tournament—having 7 MAAC champions and winning the tournament by over 80 points. In January 2011, Sidwell Wrestling broke the MAAC record for most consecutive championships, previously held by Sidwell Football, by winning their seventh.

Boys' basketball [edit]

Sidwell Friends School Varsity Boys' Basketball is currently coached by Sidwell alumnus Eric Singletary '93, who played in college at Rice University and professionally in Germany and Portugal. Singletary, now in his fourth year, has led the Quakers to conference championships in the 2009-10, 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. Other recent program highlights include Sidwell's first outright conference championship in Boys' Basketball in the 2006-07 season, with a 14-0 conference record. Alumni have gone on to play for universities such as Villanova, Penn, Rice and Gettysburg College.

Girls' basketball [edit]

The Sidwell Friends girls' varsity basketball program has a long winning tradition, with numerous conference titles as well as local and national rankings. Head Coach Anne Renninger, a pioneering player at the University of Maryland and one of the youngest Division I college coaches ever (at George Washington University), has led the Quakers to over 400 victories. Over a two-year stretch from 1997–1999, the Sidwell girls' basketball team lost only two games, while winning back-to-back conference championships and achieving both Washington Post Top 10 and USA Today rankings. Former Sidwell girls basketball players have gone on to play for schools such as Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, Stanford, Tennessee, Harvard, Penn, George Washington and William & Mary.

Boys' baseball [edit]

The Sidwell Friends men's baseball team has been one of the top squads in the MAAC in recent years. With a conference championship in 2006, and 3rd place finishes in 2007, 2009, and 2010, the Quakers finished 2nd in the league in 2011 and 2012. The Quakers also won the 2011 Washington, DC city title with a victory over Woodrow Wilson High School in the Congressional Bank Classic at Nationals Park.

Current profile [edit]

  • For the 2009-2010 school year, 1,109 students (560 boys and 549 girls) are enrolled.[9]
  • 40% of the student body belong to ethnic minorities.[9]
  • 23% of the student body receives some form of financial assistance.[9]
  • The school employs 145 teachers and 103 administrative and support staff.[9]
  • Tuition for the 2010-2011 school year is $31,069 (prekindergarten-grade 4) and $32,069 (grades 5-12).[10]
  • The school does not release its SAT average scores or college admission list. However, the school releases to the most recent alumni class a list of which institutions each recently graduated student is attending.
  • The school does not rank its students, as this conflicts with the Quaker Testimony of Equality.[citation needed]

Campuses [edit]

The Middle and Upper School campus is located at 3825 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20016-2907

  • 15 acre (61,000 m²) Wisconsin Avenue campus in the Tenleytown section of Northwest Washington
  • Earl G. Harrison Jr. Upper School Building
  • Middle School building with LEED platinum certification,[11] designed by architect KieranTimberlake Associates and landscape design by Andropogon Associates. The wood-clad building was designed around a sustainable use of water and energy, exemplified by a constructed wetland in the center of the campus, part of a wastewater recycling system. On the interior, the building uses thermal chimneys and louvers that admit diffuse light to limit the need for artificial light and thermal control. Lastly, the building contains a centralized mechanical plant that uses less energy than normal, much of which is produced by photovoltaic banks on the roof. The materials used and the environmental technology are referenced architecturally and made accessible to students, either physically, or by explanatory signs, as an educational feature.
  • Kogod Center for the Arts
  • Richard Walter Goldman Memorial Library
  • Zartman House (administration building)
  • Sensner Building (Fox Den Cafe and school store)
  • Wannan and Kenworthy Gymnasiums
  • Three athletic fields, five tennis courts, and a six-lane track.
  • Parking facility with faculty, student, guest and alumni parking (2 floors, 200+ parking spaces), as well as offices for security, IT and maintenance

The Lower School campus can be found at 5100 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, 20814-2306

  • 5 acre (20,000 m²) Edgemoor Lane campus in Bethesda (formerly Longfellow School for Boys; opened for the 1963–64 school year)
  • Manor House (classrooms, administration, and Clark Library)
  • Groome Building (classrooms and multi-purpose room)
  • Science, Art, and Music (SAM) Building
  • The Bethesda Friends Meeting House
  • Athletic fields, a gymnasium, and two playgrounds

Both campuses underwent major renovations throughout the 2005-2006 school year, and construction and renovation of the athletic facilities is still ongoing.

Notable alumni [edit]

Notable alumni of Sidwell Friends include:

The following notable people attended Sidwell but graduated elsewhere:

Notable parents [edit]

Notable parents of past and present Sidwell Friends students include:

References [edit]

  1. ^ Swarns, Rachel L. (2008-11-22). "Obamas Pick Sidwell School, Ending a Washington Guessing Game". The New York Times. 
  2. ^ The Washington Post http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2009/01/05/obama_girls_start_school_at_si.html?wprss=the-trail |url= missing title (help). 
  3. ^ Thomas, Grace Powers (1898). Where to educate, 1898-1899. A guide to the best private schools, higher institutions of learning, etc., in the United States. Boston: Brown and Company. p. 42. Retrieved August 17, 2012. 
  4. ^ Sidwell Head of School Search Committee Report
  5. ^ College Board: Advanced Placement: Report to the Nation
  6. ^ Sidwell Friends School: Graduation Requirements
  7. ^ The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/highschools/all-met/2010/fall/boys-cross-country/ |url= missing title (help). 
  8. ^ "Home - Espn Rise". Sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved 2010-10-02. 
  9. ^ a b c d "About Sidwell Friends School". Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  10. ^ "Sidwell Friends School: Tuition and Financial Aid". 
  11. ^ US Green Building Council
  12. ^ a b c Vogel, Chris. "Prep Schools of the Power Brokers." Washingtonian. Monday May 1, 2006.
  13. ^ a b Prep Schools of the Power Brokers - Education (washingtonian.com)
  14. ^ Martin, Douglas. "W. D. Zantzinger, Subject of Dylan Song, Dies at 69." New York Times. January 9, 2009.
  15. ^ "USA Indoor Track & Field Champions". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  16. ^ "The Dr. Meriwether Saga". Time magazine. 12 June 1971. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 

Henry Armand and Judy Rice Millon Patti Solis Doyle

External links [edit]
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