Miss Woodward, innovator at BFS and beyond from 1900 to 1951

Examining the history of Brooklyn Friends School means also examining the history of education in Brooklyn and New York City. Brooklyn Friends School has a long history of educational innovations, but it also has a long history of allowing innovative educators to implement their ideas at BFS.

E. Frances Woodward
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1951,
accessible courtesy of fultonhistory.com

Ella Frances Woodward exemplifies our long-standing commitment to educational innovation and to supporting innovative teachers.

BFS Playground on Grace Court, 1914 to 1923

In 1914, Friends School - as it was then called - was expanding at all levels, with its young high school program being one of them.  Our athletic program had only just gotten off the ground and it was soon clear that the school needed athletic facilities to go further.  Our second athletic director, Mr. Guy C. Carr, was also a co-head of the high school program and taught mathematics.  The school, then located on Schermerhorn, did have play-yards on either side of the school buildings - one for girls and one for boys and, in later years, one for older students and one for younger - but its true gymnasium would not be built until 1917. On top of that, "outdoor" education was the height of fashion: BFS built outdoor classrooms on the roof of the Schermerhorn school building. Even more, the public playground movement had hit Brooklyn, and, in 1908, there were only five public playgrounds in all of Brooklyn.

To meet the school's need, in 1916 apparently, the school rented a small plot of land at the foot of Grace Court, near Furman Street. However, it was decided that the BFS playground could help meet the needs of the public as well.