50th Timeline: 1994 – The Long-Range Plan

The mid-1990s were a very reflective time in the history of the School due to a combination of factors, including the accreditation process, the celebration of the School’s 25^th anniversary, the difficult decision to lay down the Upper School, and the energetic leadership of John Harkins.  Among the first of the many results of this deep thinking was the creation of a marketing video by Keith Wasserman.  Keith and his wife, Betsey Riley-Wasserman, were also on the Steering Committee of the Long-Range Planning Committee.  Under new Board clerk, Ameline Pappas, and Steering Committee clerk, Keith Ragone, this committee of twenty-two parents, teachers, alumni, and trustees produced a new plan for the School entitled “Making Friends for the Future.”  This was the first systematic and community-wide rumination on the future of the School since the decision to separate from Woodbury Monthly Meeting in 1970. Over the course of more than a year, the committee surveyed over 2,000 people and produced a new mission statement, a series of goals to improve the academic program, a set of objectives related to School’s property needs, several strategies for improving the School’s financial management and development program, and, finally, objectives for improving enrollment at the School through enhanced marketing efforts.  “Making Friends for the Future” concluded by noting that this “Plan is a kind of collective vision, a shared dream about a young school that is still evolving. We see a great future for Friends School.” Many of those who authored the plan would, in the next several years, do much to realize this vision and help the School reach its 50^th anniversary.