Teaching To The Whole Child
Greenwood Friends School teaches children to think critically, creatively, and compassionately. We provide a challenging and supportive academic environment, guided by the Quaker principles of peace, integrity, equality, community, simplicity, and stewardship.
“Greenwood's academics are a dream. They are child-centered and tailored to each child's strengths and weaknesses. There is a lot of one-on-one attention.”
-Greenwood Parent
Welcome from our Head of School, Dr. Portia Brandt
Dear Friends,
At Greenwood Friends School our educational program, informed by our ever-expanding knowledge of children’s intellectual, social-emotional, and physical development, is meant to reveal our students as the best versions of themselves. In recognizing their strengths and challenges, our students are empowered to work and grow with confidence and compassion.
Guided by the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, equality, community, integrity, and stewardship, the faculty and staff at Greenwood Friends School are dynamic and talented educators who are passionate about their work and forge lasting relationships with their students.
Our beautiful, pastoral campus provides safe spaces for outdoor exploration, for children to showcase their existing passions and discover new ones, and for finding balance. It is a place where they learn the skills necessary to thrive in a future that has not yet come to be, and where their souls and spirits are nourished.
As I make my way around the building and on the playground every day, I see hard work, thoughtful sharing, and mutual respect evident in every corner of school. I hope you will consider coming to join us and experience what a Friends Education can provide.
Sincerely yours,
Portia
Simplicity. Peace. Integrity. Community. Equality. Stewardship.
-Our Quaker Values
Mission & Values
Greenwood Friends School teaches children to think critically, creatively, and compassionately. We provide a challenging and supportive academic environment, guided by the Quaker principles of peace, integrity, equality, community, simplicity, and stewardship.
Learning how to learn
Greenwood Friends nurtures students’ natural curiosity and encourages them to “learn how to learn.” Instruction is student-centered, acknowledging each child’s learning style, abilities, and rate of development. Flexible classroom groupings allow children to progress in each subject at their own level of ability. We believe that children reach their highest potential through hands-on and investigative activities that are relevant to their lives.
Peace, integrity, equality, community, simplicity, & stewardship
Quaker principles guide our school’s daily life. Guided by these values, students reach out to embrace the local and global communities, believing that each person can make a difference in the world. Meeting for Worship encourages spiritual and personal growth in a centered atmosphere.
Finding our place in the world
Greenwood Friends values a diverse school community in which students work cooperatively. We strive to help children build a strong self-image and to be their own advocate. Students are challenged to recognize and value their own potential and to appreciate the potential of others.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice
Greenwood Friends School’s DEIJ Statement
At Greenwood Friends School, we are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive community in which students, staff, and community members are seen and heard. We encourage self and community reflection. We affirm all races, nationalities, religions, gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, and socio-economic backgrounds. Students learn best when they feel safe. Affirming identities is foundational to our mission of making schools safe. We actively seek to create a space where all individuals are heard, valued, and respected. We encourage open dialogue, active listening, and collaboration to nurture an inclusive culture that welcomes diverse perspectives, encourages critical thinking, and broadens our understanding of the world. Developing empathy and respect for others empowers students to work for peace, equity, and justice in our local and global communities. Quaker testimonies require members of our community to learn about diversity and our collective history of inequity. In a school environment that lacks diversity, we must bring these identities into our classrooms through curriculum. We strive to create an environment in which all members of the community are open to self-examination, recognizing that this is uncomfortable. While this work is hard, it is necessary for the benefit of our community and the creation of a more just world. We are committed to being anti-racist while acknowledging and working against our own biases, and we will continue to actively address these complex and evolving ideas to ensure that Greenwood Friends School is a safe, inclusive, and nurturing environment for all.
History
The vision for Greenwood Friends School originated in 1976 when a group of enthusiastic parents and educators began working to create an alternative educational opportunity for children in the Central Susquehanna River Valley. Opening two years later in 1978, with four students and one teacher in the Columbia Insurance Plaza building in Bloomsburg, PA, the Community Friends School, as it was originally named, was taken under the care of the Millville-Muncy Quarterly Meeting (now Upper Susquehanna Quarterly Meeting) and became a member of Friends Council on Education shortly thereafter.
As enrollment grew, by January, 1982, the school needed to find a larger space and that spring, the Board of Trustees made a bid on the empty Greenwood School owned by the Millville School District. In June, 1982, the purchase was completed thanks to generous support from Friends of Millville Monthly Meeting, the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, and other committed donors. Shortly after the purchase was finalized, the Millville Monthly Meeting approved taking the school under its care and thus the school, to this day, remains under the care of both Upper Susquehanna and Millville Meetings.
In 1986, the school name was changed to Greenwood Friends School to more accurately reflect the location of the school and annual enrollment began to grow consistently from there. A major fundraising campaign was launched in 2002 and the “new wing” was completed in 2003. This addition, which features a spacious library, large art studio, and three elementary school classrooms, more than doubled the size of the school footprint and allowed the school to expand its programming to where it is today.
An elementary school classroom in the original rented school building, 1980
An early Meeting for Worship, 1981
