Friends School of Baltimore

History

It is the oldest private school in Baltimore, founded in 1784 by members of the Religious Society of Friends. Classes were first held in the Aisquith Street Meetinghouse in the East Baltimore community of Old Town. The School was moved to the Lombard Street Meetinghouse in the 1840s and then, in 1899, to its third location at 1712 Park Avenue, adjacent to the Park Avenue Meetinghouse. In 1925, Friends purchased its present site at 5114 North Charles Street. Though the School incorporated in 1973 and separated from the Baltimore Monthly Meeting of Friends, Stony Run, it maintains historic and philosophic ties with the Meeting.

Philosophy

Quaker philosophy maintains a somewhat fluid state because Quakers have historically resisted specific creeds or regimented hierarchical church structures unlike most organized religion. Members of the movements profess the priesthood of all believers, a doctrine derived from the First Epistle of Peter. They include those with evangelical, holiness, liberal, and traditional Quaker understandings of Christianity. To differing extents, the different movements that make up the Religious Society of Friends/Friends Church avoid creeds and hierarchical structures. Some, but not all Quakers, self-identify as Unitarian Universalists, meaning that they believe all religions and beliefs are correct and of equal value although they may practice a particular spiritual belief.

Curriculum and Administration

As of 2006, the School had a faculty of 105 teachers, including 87 full-time faculty, a yearly operating budget of $16.1 million and an endowment of $16.6 million. The School is governed by a Board of Trustees.

Friends School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, and is approved by the Maryland State Board of Education. Education programs in each division are designed to instill a love of learning by fostering students' critical thinking skills and encouraging them to seek creative methods for solving problems. In addition to traditional academic subjects, all students participate in fine arts and physical education courses, as well as community service, which teaches students to look beyond themselves and form connections with the greater community. Co-curricular activities include after-school interscholastic and intramural sports, theater and dance productions, private music lessons, and after-school clubs and committees in each division. In addition to separate instructional buildings for the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools—including a separate facility for the Lower School's Pre-K through Pre-First program—the Friends campus features a music education facility, dance studio, fitness room, two gymnasiums, a wrestling room, tennis courts, five full playing fields and two practice areas.

Principals, headmasters, heads of the school

†The terms "Principal" and "Headmaster" were not used before 1864. The term "Head of School" was first used by Jon Harris.

†From 1889 to 1899 Lamb's school was separate from the Meeting's School.

Historical timeline

Notable alumni