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From Our Friends School
(Reprinted from Salem Quarter News, Spring 2005)
David Eldridge
Drew Smith, Head of School
There is growing excitement here about our school’s remarkable
campus expansion. We recently received over 13 acres of undeveloped
land from Robin Farquhar, a friend and former neighbor who donated
the property in honor of her Quaker grandparents, J. Omar and
Mary J. Heritage who were members of Mullica Hill Meeting. Mary
taught at Upper Greenwich Friends School, now affectionately
known as “The Little Red Schoolhouse,” after studying
to teach during George School first years in the 1890’s.
Omar and Mary loved nature and created a lake in Elk Township
in woodland they bought, calling it “ Lake Omary.”
The Heritages also donated funds to Mullica Hill Meeting that
have provided financial assistance for Meeting families sending
children to our school and other Friends Schools. As Judy Suplee,
Mullica Hill Meeting member and Robin’s first cousin says,
“To think that Friends School children will have the opportunity
to explore and enjoy that piece of property may be something
they never imagined but is something they would heartily approve.”
We are calling this new section of campus the FSMH Heritage
Woodlands Nature Reserve, which surrounds the North Branch
of the Raccoon Creek. It represents the largest section of
undeveloped land in Mullica Hill and is a part of the Delaware
River watershed (the headwaters of the North Branch start
at the edge of our main campus), and nearly doubles the size
of our campus. The land is lovely, and demonstrates two very
different ecosystems. The land to the east of the creek is
on a plateau and is filled with white pine trees, which, Robin
informed me, her father planted to prevent erosion. The land
to the west is filled with deciduous trees that grace a gentle,
scalloped slope up to the edge of surrounding lawns. The banks
to the creek are precipitous in places, giving some surprisingly
dramatic views.
We think Robin Farquhar made an excellent decision to ask
us to be stewards of this land for generations to come. Our
teachers have brought classes here for years to give them
a basic sense of wooded territory surrounding a waterway.
Now students can use a full-fledged natural laboratory that
is a readily accessible resource. Students also have an opportunity
to practice stewardship, one of Quakerism’s six basic
testimonies, in a tangible and memorable way. The faculty
member who heads our very active Middle School Service Club,
T. Peter Manzelmann, has begun planning some work by the club
to begin the process of cleaning up and building the path.
Finally, we are planning to create an outdoor meeting circle
which could hopefully accommodate the entire school for an
occasional Meeting for Worship or for other gatherings.
We have applied for funds to establish an ongoing Stewardship
Program for the Nature Reserve. We are envisioning a path
from one side of the creek to the other that travels over
a footbridge and provides safe access to the edge of the creek
for scientific study and quiet contemplation. The deed for
the land restricts all but minimal building, so we are confident
that the land will remain virtually undeveloped for the foreseeable
future. We cordially invite all Salem Quarter members to visit
the land, walk the paths, and enjoy the peaceful surroundings
as you are able and interested.
It has been interesting to me how many people have asked
if the land will be useful. Quakers, and Friends Schools,
are uniquely prepared to appreciate a natural place as profoundly
useful in the most important way. A natural place soothes
the spirit, helps bring us back to our center in a turbulent
world, and gives us an opportunity to listen to God’s
will with less interference. A natural place brings a biology
lesson to life, provides a place for students to have a real
impact on the world, and reminds all of us how important,
and difficult, it is to keep our feet on the ground. We are
proud to receive this new responsibility and proud to be stewards
of this land.
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