West Chester Friends School Lays the Foundation for Students to Become Lifelong Learners
As the pandemic has forced local school districts to make weighty decisions about how they will educate students, parents who are not in a position to remain at home to oversee their children’s virtual learning are faced with decisions they never could have imagined having to make.
Amidst all the educational question marks surrounding COVID-19, one thing is certain: There is a school in West Chester, perhaps the borough’s best-kept secret, with a rich past and exciting present that is teaching its students in-person this fall.
Having operated on its site on North High Street for more than 180 years, West Chester Friends School educates students of many faiths in preschool through fifth grade with an approach rooted in Quaker values, including respect for one another, self-discipline, peaceful conflict resolution, and responsibility to the community.
WCFS’s campus is peaceful and welcoming and blends historic architecture and an open lawn with thoughtful modern improvements. And it has the space necessary for social distancing in the era of COVID-19. Outdoor classrooms, required masks, and class cohorts that do not mix with one another are a few of the accommodations that the school has been able to make.
As the oldest continuously operating school in the borough, WCFS believes fiercely in the power of relationships.
“We know that students learn best when they have strong relationships with caring teachers who are fully invested in them,” said Head of School Brian Fahey. “Every day our teachers help children to uncover their strengths and to build on them by taking risks and learning from those experiences. A nurturing and respectful relationship, where encouragement and high expectations are ever present, is the foundation of that process.”
Such a foundation enables WCFS students to become lifelong learners, contributing members of their communities, and citizens of the world. The school offers impressive advantages to students because it is small by design and dedicated exclusively to the education of children in preschool through fifth grade.
Each classroom and specialty area teacher is an expert in his or her field, as well as in the academic and social development of young children. At WCFS, every child’s unique intellectual gifts are celebrated and fostered.
“We are all unique individuals and bring value to and enrich WCFS through our diversity,” said Fahey.
The children of many of Chester County’s founding families spent their elementary years on WCFS’s campus. Samuel Barber, one of the most renowned composers of the 20th century, and members of the Wyeth family are among the school’s alumni.
Many important connections still exist with WCFS’s neighbors, as classes often walk to utilize local resources that include museums, art galleries, historical sites, and municipal buildings in the borough.
The doors of West Chester Friends School are open to prospective students and their families. WCFS has a strong commitment to providing flexible tuition and the socioeconomically diverse student body this practice creates.
“We believe that a learning community comprised of students from a range of backgrounds is an ideal setting for all,” said Fahey.
Click here to learn more about West Chester Friends School.
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