US Students Attend Quaker Youth Leadership Conference, NYC Ethics Bowl

In spite of these chilly winter days, the upper school has been busy as usual! Last weekend, an intrepid band of students (accompanied by Head Teachers Zora Tucker and Amanda Toomey) braved the cold to participate in the Quaker Youth Leadership Conference, a three-day summit of talks, activities, and workshops by and for student leaders from Quaker schools. Held at Sandy Spring Friends School in Maryland, the theme of this year’s conference was “Our Past, Our Progress: Promoting Peace Through Activism.” Students and faculty alike had a wonderful time bonding with like-minded contemporaries as well as gaining a deeper appreciation for their Quaker community. Zora observed, “In the multiple Silences, grief was a recurrent theme, and it was beautiful to watch young people collectively processing some of their personal losses.” What a resonate reminder of the power holding space with one another has.

Not all of the excitement happened far from home. Our MMFS ethicists spent this past Saturday competing against 20 other schools in the 2023 NYC Ethics Bowl. They deftly tackled divisive issues, both domestic and international, all the while flexing their skills in oral presentation and critical dialogue. “I think Ethics Bowl is great because it teaches you how to cooperate,” one student shared. “It teaches you how to build an argument and work with another team rather than simply disagreeing.” We are incredibly proud of their dedication and applaud Head Teachers John Keenan and Leslie Contopidis for preparing the students for a day of tough questions and even tougher competition.