It is beyond exciting to be back at school for the whole community. For the first time in nearly a year and a half, the Wilmington Friends School community has returned to a full five-day, in-person school schedule. While the entire community is excited to return to full in-person learning, it is also important to note the changes that the summer has brought to the Wilmington Friends Campus. All of these alterations to the school have been a labor of love throughout the summer, with the intention of returning to school with a happy and productive start in order to make this school year the best it possibly can be!

While this is not a new addition to the Wilmington Friends School community, it is exciting to announce that Culinart has made a return to campus. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Culinart sponsored school cafeteria was not up and running last year for safety reasons. Because of the increased vaccination rate within the school, it was decided that the return of the cafeteria is a safe and healthy option for the community as we return to school this year. 

In addition to the return of the cafeteria, last year, the Wilmington Friends School community also distributed new Apple computers to the entirety of the student body, faculty, and staff. This new edition advanced the school’s Apple 1-to-1 laptop program, which ensures that all members of the school community including students from grades 5-12, and all faculty and staff have access to updated, working, personal, apple computers. This addition to the schools’ technological resources also gives the community an opportunity to improve the bandwidth, and have newfound access to specific programs designed for newer Apple products. Students seem to be very content with the new computers and are excited about the new opportunities that come with these advancements made. “I am so excited about how secure and long-lasting the battery is. I end up only having to charge my computer about three times a week, which is a huge improvement from the old ones,” says Colin Harron ‘23. This example of a way that the new computers are improving the educational and technological experience for students illustrates the way in which constantly improving areas of the school benefits students and faculty.

While the new technological advancements and addition of the cafeteria to the school are extremely exciting and beneficial to the student body, there are also some larger construction projects that were underway over the summer and have now been completed with the start of school. One of the most notable changes to the layout of the school is the reconfiguration of Jenks’ former classroom into what is now Middle and Upper school counselor, Danielle Literelle’s office. This new change makes space for the new counselors’ office and provides students with a safe space to privately discuss any issue they’re facing with a licensed and trained professional. This reconfiguration will help to better serve the student population by providing a quiet place for reflection and will serve to keep the students feeling comfortable and supported. Students also seem to be excited about this additional support offered by the school. “Having a school counselor gives students an accessible outlet when they need it. Although everyone may not visit the new counselor, it’s significant to let students know that they have that option for help when they need it,” says Aniyah Barnett ‘22. Overall, the entire community is excited to have this outlet and opportunity to meet with a counselor and are enthusiastic about always having that option for additional support.

Overall, there are many exciting new additions to the school this year. The hope of a more normal return and start to this year, accompanied by many advancements made over the summer, show that Wilmington Friends is committed to further developing many aspects of the school community.