BFS history, the video

"This Is Our Quiet Time"

BFS ordinarily shares brief clips in its Video Archives, but we make an exception this week with the full version of the original BFS musical, Forward to the Past. Written and performed by the BFS community in 1989, Forward to the Past: the Historical Hysterical Follies of Brooklyn Friends School, relates our school's history as uncovered by an extra-terrestrial cultural anthropologist visiting the Planet Earth in his search for "friendly peoples." And he just happened to land at BFS. Of course, there are many familiar faces among the cast of teachers, parents, students, and friends, including Cheryl Foote, Don Knies, Jack Ramey, Martin Norregaard, Lawrence Gibson and many others. A clip of just the hip-hop finale was posted almost a year ago, yet today the beautiful solo, "This Is Our Quiet Time," beginning at 49:30, merits a listen.

BFS "head" count. Heads of school, that is...

Stuart Smith, 1968 to 1978

Since 1867, BFS has had 19 heads of school, not including interim heads. Over the years, the title of our school's highest administrative role has evolved from principal to headmaster to today's head of school. The history of each administration is unique, fascinating and lengthy, so today I'll only give the list of BFS heads of school and a few facts I find interesting, including the fact that only nine of the nineteen BFS heads of school were Quakers. 

BFS 9 Years Ago: A Video Interview with Gil Zalman

Thoughts this week turn to the many wonderful people we know and have known at BFS, particularly those no longer with us. Such thoughts make me feel fortunate to have worked with the late Gilbert Zalman. I so enjoyed my occasional conversations with Gil over the years that I envied his students their near-daily opportunity to learn with and from him. We're only human and we often take things and people for granted, so I know I may not have been able to appreciate Gil as much at a young age as I continue to appreciate him as an adult and as his colleague.

History, Weiss Style - 40 years ago...

Welcome back to a new year at Brooklyn Friends School! For those who may not have attended opening days at BFS this year, Head of School Larry Weiss pointed out that it has been 40 years since he first came to BFS, at the start of the 1973-74 school year. Our former student newspaper The Life actually published the article below about Larry in its November, 1973 edition.

Our First Meeting for Worship, 1941

Meeting for Worship is such an important element of the Brooklyn Friends School experience that it is difficult to imagine that it did not exist in its present form at Brooklyn Friends School until October 30, 1941. We can thank Douglas G. Grafflin and S. Archibald Smith, two former BFS Heads of School, for introducing the Meeting for Worship we know today to both Brooklyn Friends School and

From the kitchens of BFS

Teachers' Treats Cookbook, published 1984-85

Some of us will remember the BFS cookbooks produced by members of our community, most often our teachers and parents of the PAT.

Che bella voce!

Take a look back to 1993 for a fabulous rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at BFS, sung by Middle and Upper School science teacher and past athletic director Janet Villas. Big thanks for making this possible go straight out to several of my BFS colleagues: director of media services Andy Cohen for the transfer; current athletic director David Gardella for saving the original VHS; and, of course, to Janet for her beautiful voice and performance. And, wow, basketball uniforms have changed over time! 

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.

All About Norregaard

BFS celebrated Martin Norregaard's 50 years with BFS with much fanfare at Reunion 2011. To jog your memories, Martin taught Middle School English and Social Studies from 1961 to 1991, then retired although he taught part-time for the next two years. After 1993, he remained in close contact with BFS and soon became a Trustee. Mr. N. is doing just fine as I write these words and collect Norregaardiana for the school's digital archives. Please feel free to suggest words that might be better than "Norregaardiana."

Lovely Surprises

I typically hate surprises, but some are always appreciated: there is nothing quite like finding a BFS historic treasure in either a traditional or electronic mailbox. Every once in a while, kind people find BFS-related items among their personal collections and choose to share them with BFS, thinking (correctly) that BFS might wish to have them or that I, Susan Price '86, am so interested in BFS history that I'll definitely want them (people have come to know me pretty well).