Image generated using artificial intelligence (AI)
AI @ WFS
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a part of our lives for many years, with people relying on tools such as chatbots, facial recognition, and digital assistants (e.g. Siri and Alexa) in their daily lives.
Students have had access to educational aids such as Grammarly for editing and Duolingo for world languages for many years as well. But the release a little over a year ago of ChatGPT––a tool that can create text, images, code, and video based on prompts–– introduced a new variable to the conversation that educators consistently have regarding the pros and cons of AI tools in learning and teaching.
Upper school faculty have had many discussions about AI in the classroom. Our current policy is that teachers can experiment with using AI through their departments, and each department has a designated teacher who is open to creatively experimenting. For all classes, students are not to use AI without explicit permission from their teachers.
Head of Upper School Rebecca Zug recognizes that students are eager to learn more about AI. “Students really got excited by an AI piece of artwork on the NYC art trip in October. Several reflected in the Theory of Knowledge course on what originality and authorship signify when art is AI-generated.”
Rebecca is meeting with students to get their input into how teachers might utilize AI in teaching and learning, and how teachers who want to eliminate inappropriate use of AI by students can do that.
To help guide us in our discussions regarding AI, WFS has an ongoing relationship with Katie O’Shaughnessy from Princeton Day School as a consultant to the upper school this year.
From St. Louis to Boston, our College Guidance team is on the move! Director Kathleen Martin connected over lunch with Aaron Hockstein ’24 and Devin Wallace ’24 at Washington University in St. Louis, and with Nick Winchell ’24 at Hampden-Sydney College, while Associate Director Rose Gnade caught up with Alex Saville ’21 at Gettysburg College. We love seeing our alumni and supporting our current students on their college journeys!
The WFS Model UN Club, accompanied by faculty advisor Nick Childers, recently sent a delegation of four students to the Tower Hill Model UN Conference.
WFS Lower School assistant and associate teachers participated in a professional development retreat at Pendle Hill last week, focused on deepening instructional practice and strengthening team collaboration.
Last night, WFS honored the Class of 2025 International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates during the annual Celebration of Scholarship. Each student delivered a 3–5 minute presentation reflecting on their growth through the program’s core components: Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay. The evening highlighted the depth of thought, dedication, and inquiry that define the IB experience at Wilmington Friends School.
Megan Hegenbarth’s Quakerism class took a mindful journey into Alapocas Woods with middle school Spanish teacher Laura Pardo ’90, who studied forest immersion on her sabbatical earlier this year. Guided sensory exercises—listening to rustling leaves, feeling tree bark, noticing the movement of water—helped students support their well‑being by connecting with the present moment, their natural surroundings, and themselves.
Congratulations to our community members who shared their talents at this week's Informal Concert! This concert is designed to showcase the talent of our students, parents, and faculty in an informal, yet serious, chamber concert or recital format.
We were honored to have award-winning slam poet and author Andre Bradford visit all three divisions at WFS! Through his "On Purposeful Empathy" programming, Andre stresses the importance of empathy, vulnerability, and the power of storytelling. He encouraged students to find strength in their own voices and embrace the impact of their own stories.
8th grade Chinese students recent visited Le Shio restaurant in Wilmington to practice their Chinese speaking skills and to learn how to order food in a restaurant!
Rick Grier Reynolds, who created the Global Peace and Justice course at WFS, returned today with Brian Winward, a returned citizen and long-time AVP facilitator, to discuss the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) with 9th grade students.
Ricky Singh, the first person to summit Mount Everest and complete 50 marathons in 50 states, recently visited the Asian Student Union Club to share how he got into running and the mindset that fueled his journey.
Upper School Power and Performance English classes, International Baccalaureate Higher Level Visual Arts students, Visual Art Majors, and 3D Design students traveled to Washington, D.C., for a research field trip that took them on a cultural odyssey!
The WFS College Office recently hosted a Case Studies program for juniors and their grownups. Prior to the program, students and adults were given three college applications to read.
Upper School French students have been perfecting their language skills in the most delicious ways—French 2 students competed in a Top Chef Crêpes competition, while International Baccalaureate HL French students created a tarte au citron!
Happy Panda Day 2025! A new and beloved Lower School tradition on the day before Spring Break, students enjoyed a variety of activities, including visiting with a therapy dog, making special panda bookmarks and bird feeders, buddy reading, practicing Aikido and yoga, and completing several service projects.
Tuesday night’s International Baccalaureate recital showcased the talents of IB Music HL1 and HL2 students in an evening of vocal performances. Soprano vocalists Ella Morton ’25 and Piper Roskovensky ’26 presented a program of diverse repertoire featuring contemporary, traditional, and musical theatre selections.
Statement of Nondiscrimination as to Student Enrollment
Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.