The Friends School of Atlanta

Bringing forward more than 329 years of excellence in Quaker Education

This land is your land; this land is my land.

Within the Americas, and particularly here in Georgia, the concept of shared ownership conveyed in these lyrics is entangled with complex historical truths. Who rightfully claims ownership of this land, and what obligations do we bear toward it?

Last week, Cate’s and Pam’s third-grade students, along with Alex’s 7th and 8th graders, seized the opportunity presented by Indigenous People’s Day on October 9, 2023, to delve into these important questions and anchor our exploration in the real-life experiences of the Muscogee Creek people, who are the original inhabitants or First People of this land.

Land Acknowledgment

Friends School of Atlanta acknowledges that the land we live on was taken by force from the Muscogee people who are its traditional inhabitants. We understand that we have a big responsibility to take care of this land because it is not ours. We can honor the Muscogee by caring for and respecting the land we occupy.

At Friends School, students begin learning about the Muscogee in Carie and Jillian’s second grade class. This includes learning about their forced removal and migration on the Trail of Tears in 1836 to Oklahoma, an act of genocide that resulted in a 40% reduction in the Muscogee Creek population just one generation later.

Our collective inquiry opened a path for us to stand in solidarity with the Muscogee Creek and act as advocates and allies. For decades, both indigenous and non-indigenous activists in middle Georgia have been pushing for the elevation of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Monument’s status to become the 64th National Park in the United States and the sole full-fledged National Park in Georgia.

Students learned about the numerous advantages, such as economic, environmental, and quality-of-life benefits, that such an upgrade would bring to our nation, state, and the Muscogee Creek people. Most notably, this proposal would establish Ocmulgee as the first National Park in the country to be co-managed with an indigenous group. This elevation in park status would serve as a meaningful gesture of reconciliation, acknowledging the historical injustices suffered by the Muscogee Creek people.

So, how can we secure this elevated designation? It will require an act of Congress to vote on the proposal.

According to the native-led organization, the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve Initiative, the best way to support this effort and boost the park’s status is to reach out to Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior; Shannon Estenoz, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks; and Charles F. “Chuck” Sams, III, the Director of the National Park Service. We should urge them to contact influential members of Congress to facilitate the vote.

In this collaborative effort, the third graders designed postcards featuring native Georgia plants, which were distributed to students throughout the school and their families to mail. Our 7th and 8th graders honed their critical thinking and argumentation skills by composing persuasive letters to these federal officials.

Written by Alex Zinnes

 

Video Resources:

Indigenous Land Acknowledgements, Their Purpose, and How to Make Them Meaningful (CBC Kids News)

Supporters Say Macon’s Ocmulgee Worthy of National Park Designation (13WMAZ)

Postcards:

Third graders designed the artwork for these fabulous postcards asking senior members of the Department of the Interior to urge members of Congress to schedule the issue of upgrading the designation of Ocmulgee Mounds for a vote. These are available for classes and their families.

Resources:

Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240

Shannon A. Estenoz, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks
U.S. Fish and Wildlife & Parks
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240

Charles F. “Chuck” Sams, III, National Park Services Director
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240

Stewarding the Earth: Protecting Monarch Butterflies and Their Ecosystem

Monarch butterflies hold a special place in our hearts and classrooms, not only for their stunning beauty but also for the invaluable lessons they offer in environmental stewardship and sustainability. These remarkable insects, with their epic migrations and intricate life cycles, serve as nature’s messengers, reminding us of our interconnectedness with the natural world.

Since 2016, The Friends School of Atlanta (FSA) has proudly held the distinction of being a certified Monarch Waystation through its partnership with Monarch Watch. Waystations serve as a safe haven, providing nectaring flowers, water, native milkweeds and shelter for monarchs. Only a handful of other area schools have this designation. And, it wasn’t easy getting these little insects here. In fact, in order to attract and continuous lure these flighty creatures, it takes a lot of planting of milkweed, the butterflies’ main food source.

Each fall, our elementary students have the unique opportunity to witness the awe-inspiring life cycle of several different butterflies. They discover the profound truth that every butterfly’s life commences as a tiny egg, lovingly laid by its mother on a specific plant species. For the iconic monarch butterfly, this life begins in the embracing arms of the milkweed community, as it’s the sole plant species that supports the monarch’s existence. Moreover, our students delve into the broader ecosystem, learning about the myriad other insects and critters that rely on milkweed for a variety of purposes.

This journey of discovery also leads us to reflect on the Quaker principle of environmental stewardship. Quakerism calls us to honor our role as custodians of the Earth and to recognize the interconnectedness of all living beings. Our classroom’s commitment to this stewardship is embodied in our Waystation, where the lessons of the monarch butterflies inspire our students to become compassionate caretakers of our planet.

The monarch butterfly, with its extraordinary long-distance migration to a tiny region in Mexico known as the Oyamel (“o-ee-ya-mel”) forest, serves as a symbol of resilience and interconnectedness. This small part of Mexico, spanning just a mere 73 miles in width, hosts 12 colonies with microclimates perfectly suited for the monarchs to overwinter for five months. Remarkably, the precise location and migratory patterns of monarch butterflies remained a mystery until 1975. It was the dedicated efforts of Canadian biologist Dr. Fred Urquhart, who tirelessly searched for nearly four decades, alongside a network of volunteers and the tagging of thousands of monarchs, that finally unveiled their winter sanctuary. While monarchs are native to North and South America, they have ventured to other corners of the globe where milkweed and suitable temperatures exist, including Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the Iberian Peninsula.

Monarch butterflies have garnered attention not only for their exquisite beauty but also for their arduous southward journey. Yet, not all monarchs embark on this epic migration. There is a population in Florida that remains year-round, and there’s also a western monarch contingent that migrates a shorter distance within the US West Coast and southwestern states.

Every fall for the past 28 years the Symbolic Monarch Migration has occurred via the program through Journey North, an educational resource dedicated to all things migration and seasonal changes. This program aligns with our Quaker values of stewardship and community engagement, offering numerous citizen science opportunities for our students and families. Journey North’s monarch migration resources have become a cornerstone of our Environmental Science curriculum, with this year’s participants being our enthusiastic first-grade students.

As we delve into the world of Monarch Butterflies, we not only embrace the marvels of nature but also fulfill our Quaker commitment to care for the environment and promote interconnectedness among all living beings. Through this exploration, we cultivate a generation of environmentally conscious and compassionate individuals who embody the principles of our Quaker community.

To directly become involved in environmental stewardship efforts here on campus, consider joining us on campus at our next Garden Day event on Saturday, October 14th, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm. You can RSVP by clicking here.

For more information about our environmental science curriculum, please contact Joanna Gerber. 

Written by Joanna Gerber and Krystal Collier

The True Cost of Fast Fashion

This semester in Global Citizenship, 7th and 8th graders examined the way we make, buy, and dispose of our clothing with our unit about How a T-Shirt Gets Made.

In doing so, we saw how the rise of Fast Fashion in their lifetimes has contributed to a global system of economic production that relies on the exploited labor power from developing countries (many of whom are young women) as well as an intense and unsustainable use of fossil fuels in the fabric itself (think polyester, spandex, and elastane) as well as shipping items throughout the global supply chain.

Students grappled with how we benefit as consumers from having cheap, trendy clothing in the short term with long term consequences and the inevitable way our consumer practices clash with our stated values.

Additionally, students undertook a hands-on project – The Closet Challenge – to tally their own clothing and make conscious choices around disposing of clothing that no longer served them. Students also learned how to make simple repairs such as patching, replacing buttons, and hemming as a means of extending the life out of perfectly serviceable items in need of a little TLC.

Ultimately students came away with the uneasy idea that for now, there are no easy answers when it comes to something as basic as acquiring and disposing of clothing. What we know is that our unconscious patterns of consumption and disposal do not serve the short, medium, and long term trajectories of Mother Earth and her citizens.

In this unit of study, we observed that often people are resistant to change their practices, and even with our newly formed knowledge, we observed the barriers, some coming from within, to making choices that align with our values. In the act of raising our consciousness about clothing, we fostered the ongoing practice of questioning and reflection at the heart of Quaker education.

Written By: Alex Zinnes

Highlighted Student Reflections:

The overall closet challenge as a whole was life changing. The closet challenge completely changed the way I think of clothing. Whenever I think of clothing now, I think of plastic, fast fashion, how they're made, and how much it pollutes the environment.

Jimmy

The most meaningful part of this project to me is how so much of our clothing is made in sweatshops, and people don’t even know about it. All the big companies and brands are using these factories, and most people don't even know how buying from one of these companies makes an impact on the workers. It was also shocking realizing how much of my clothing was from fast fashion companies. What was the most surprising to me was that kids work in these dangerous factories. It's heartbreaking to think about how someone my age is working in an unsafe factory making our clothes while I am able to go to school and learn in a safe environment. It is eye opening learning about how these companies are getting away with using people from countries like Bangladesh for cheap labor and how far the factories would go to save an extra dollar.

Learning how the Goodwill operates made me want to look into alternative stores to donate clothes to. In the future I will definitely donate to different organizations. Another practice that I will carry forward is repairing clothing. Before, when I had a hole or a missing button I would not wear the item. However, now I can fix it on my own and I can get more use out of the clothes. I can also add onto or modify a piece of my clothing to something I would wear more. A behavior I hope to carry forward to buying less from fast fashion. It would be hard for me to do this because it is the easiest and cheaper option especially as a kid who doesn't have a constant source of income. I will try to only buy what I really want or need from these companies. Although, I think it will be hard.

Before this unit I had no idea what was behind a single t-shirt. Now that I do, it is very eye opening, it is special to me that I am able to learn about this in school because this topic is not talked about enough. I really enjoyed this unit because not only is it a very unique topic to learn but also it gives me a new perspective on a t-shirt.

Sahana, FSA Student

Before this assignment, a t-shirt was just a piece of colored fabric to me. Now when I see a t-shirt, I think about who made it, where it was made and wonder what the working conditions were.

Eli, FSA Student

This subject has taught me that there can be a whole story behind just one t-shirt. Now, every time I wear a t-shirt, I will always wonder about the story behind it. I will never forget about the struggling lives of the workers in Bangladesh who work hard long hours for a very little wage. There is a long journey of making just a t-shirt with many different people from around the world a part of it. I will never look at the clothes I wear the same ever again.

Zoe, FSA Student

Alumni Spotlight featuring Morgan Phillips-Spotts

Stories are at the heart of FSA, moments that we feel seen, places we’ve been, the people we’ve loved and who have influenced us. This month’s Alumni Spotlight is about just that, meet Morgan Phillips-Spotts, Class of 2001. Morgan, seen here with her brother, shared about her experiences at FSA and how that has shaped her company, Momo’s Book Club. 

Momo’s Book Club is a subscription book club for kids that’s designed to make a child’s home library as diverse as the world. 

How do you think FSA helped you find your voice? As weird as it sounds, silent meetings. I started attending silent meetings when I was 5 and I remember there were a couple that went off the rails (I think there was one where we talked about frogs for a while). There was a lot of joy and laughter in those but the biggest thing is that the teachers didn’t course correct. I kept waiting for an adult to tell us to stop but that didn’t happen. They let us have this moment about frogs. Silent meeting gave me the courage to express my thoughts and my teachers gave me the space to do so.

What is your favorite memory from FSA? Most of first grade. Linda and Diana made that whole year so great. This was the year we found Shelly and she became our class turtle. We had a leprechaun come to visit and the classroom got turned all around and then we got extra recess and then a scavenger hunt to find the treasure left for us. I think this year was part of the reason I really love the storytelling aspect of theater. We were reading “The Witches” and at the beginning the narrator is describing what a witch looks like and then adds “it may even be your teacher reading this to you right now.” and then Linda looked up at us and then went back to reading and we immediately ran down the list she just gave just to confirm. I remember us complaining that we were tired in the afternoons after lunch (no more naps for 1st grade) and they added a quiet time with carpet squares if you wanted to rest or read at a table. It felt great to be listened to. Little things like this made that year really fun for me.

The SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship) are deeply ingrained into all aspects of teaching, helping kids build empathy, understanding, and allowing them to build what each of these is to themselves and their community. 

How did the SPICES come into play in that mission? I think equality and community have the biggest impact on Momo’s Book club because true equality would be seeing all types of people on your bookshelves, showing kiddos that other people who aren’t exactly  like them can be the heroes of a story too. And that we’re all part of a global community so let’s take the time to walk in someone else’s shoes for a bit.

What is your favorite book in the club/ or a book that had an impact on you as a child? It’s hard to pick a favorite but I think City Green is one of my favorites. It’s about a little girl who brings her block together by creating a community garden in the vacant lot next door. It’s a good read!

Momo’s Book Club

A Community That Never Leaves You

Want to know what The Friends School of Atlanta is like? Ask Karen McMichael, known to her friends at FSA as Kaymac. She will be retiring as the school’s administrative assistant at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, but Kaymac’s Friends School journey started years before, when she and her husband decided to send their son, Ian, to FSA in 1998.

“Our son was at Georgia State University’s Child Development Center,” Kaymac recalled. “They recommended the Friends School for him, specifically because he wasn’t any trouble and he was [and still is] very bright. They felt he was going to fall through the cracks in the public schools. We visited FSA first, and to tell you the truth, we didn’t visit any other school.”

After Ian started attending, Kaymac volunteered her time and soon found that the culture fit her like a glove. She felt at home, so much so that when she was brought on staff full-time in 2001, the transition was virtually seamless.

She’s done a bit of everything over the years. She does website updates, performs some registrar work and helps with admissions in ways that coworkers identify as completely responsive, patient and effective in bringing calm to often stressful situations. She has taught word processing, Photoshop, jewelry making, among other subjects; and, as a teacher’s aid in reading, has experienced the joy of witnessing a child’s “aha” moment, the initial spark of understanding, of conquering a small hill, looking back with pride, and looking forward with confidence. “The squiggles on the page, the letters, now mean something to them,” she said. “It’s different with every child, but once you witness it, it’s something you never forget.”

“Kaymac’s smile and gentle nature was refreshing as well as encouraging to the children that she assisted with reading,” recalls long-time first grade teacher Celest Samas. “Her love of books has inspired generations of FSA first graders.”

The entire FSA experience is shaped by a kind of empathy that anyone associated with the school—staff, teachers, students, parents, alumni—knows very well. “Early on, working here and sending my son to school here, I learned about not judging people by my life. Consider what the other person’s life is like.” That is, she doesn’t judge someone based on her own life experiences, but instead tries to truly understand the complete context, and how the whole of a life shapes a person. It’s living the expression “knowing where the person is coming from,” but on a much deeper level.

This philosophy even lends itself to her teaching. Speaking about Kaymac’s jewelry-making middle school exploratory, 6th graders Katy and Paideia said, “Kaymac gives lots of freedom to express yourself, always makes space for laughter and responds right away when you need help.”

Living it comes through listening instead of waiting to talk. It also comes through feeling at home in silence, be it during class, silent meeting or during administrative staff meetings, where silence plays a key role. After someone expresses an opinion, everyone sits for a brief period of silence, allowing time to reflect on what was just said. That builds understanding, reinforces empathy, and buttresses FSA’s unique, enduring community.

“I’ve loved this place since the first day my son started school here, and I’ve never stopped learning. It’s such an amazing community.”

Those who have worked side by side with Kaymac in the administration, whether for decades or just a few years, are not sure how to move forward without her capable, reassuring presence. “It would be impossible to enumerate all of the ways that our beloved Kaymac has served the school community,” according to Waman French, Head of School. “Speaking personally, Kaymac has provided the ultimate support during some very difficult times as well as joyous ones.”

Likewise, Nancy Bent, Director of Advancement, shared, “Kaymac is so utterly reliable, so meticulous with detail, so unflagging in her willingness to serve however she is needed. I will dearly miss partnering with her on the work of the school.”

Kaymac may be retiring this year, but she—like all the students, staff, teachers, and alums who have passed through The Friends School’s doors—will never stop being part of the FSA community.

 

By Tim Heston

Tim Heston has written for business magazines since 1996. He’s won some awards here and there, but his greatest achievement is being the proud parent of an FSA fifth grader.