At a school as old as Friends, some might think that the school stays identical year in and year out. The truth lies far from this idea, especially in the past few years with so many huge construction projects being undertaken by the school. There is a new addition to the school this year: one not as flashy as a new wing or as spoken about as a new turf field, yet equally as important to our student body. This addition is the new “Quaker Matters Board,” which can be found in the math hallway. The board has several functions, all of which aim to help students learn about the school.

“Quaker Matters” is a phrase that has been adopted recently at Friends. It can be seen on banners near the entrance, on the website, and now on its own board. The purpose of the board is to spread Quaker values in our community. So far the board has received mixed levels of attention, but soon it will be well known throughout the school. Chad Connors ’18 had this to say about the board: “What board?” His lack of knowledge about the board can be accredited to his lack of time spent in the area around the board. As the word spreads about the board, it has the potential to become a daily commodity for the entire upper school. Excitement is already buzzing around the new addition with some students, one of whom is Ryan Fischer ’18: “The Quaker Matters board, you say? Why yes! Great things I see! Good tidings it creates! It lets me know wondrous things about Quakers, and wondrous things about why they matter! Good stuff! Very good! Quite joyous! But alas, I don’t actually know what the Quaker Matters board is! I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting it! I might like to get to know it!” Because of most students’ misunderstandings of the purpose of the board, some of the students that helped establish it provided some clarification.

The goal for the Quaker Matters board is to help publicize what is going on around school, especially in clubs that demonstrate Quaker values. As of now, the board is split into sections for every club that plays a role in activities like helping others spreading awareness or educating students. Mary Agne ’18 was one of the students that played a role in establishing the bulletin board, and here is what she had to say about it: “I think that it is going to be a really great way for socially conscious clubs to share all the great work they’re doing that the entire student body doesn’t always get to see.  Also, I think it will bring new people to these issues who didn’t really know that they were being discussed. All in all, I hope it will create a more active and responsible student body.” The board may be new, but the people behind clearly have an idea mapped out for the purposes that they hope for it to serve.

With all the chaos of a new school year, the Quaker Matters board is truly a gift to our students. While students find themselves getting caught up in work, they can go to the board to find opportunities to be a part of something bigger than themselves. In the grand scheme of things, this seemingly insignificant bulletin board might not have a huge impact on every student’s day to day life; the important thing is to realize how much potential it has to help not only the students that are willing to give the activities a try, but also our community as a whole.