Voices of Friends: John Bonifaz ’84, Co-Founder and President at Free Speech For People
“In some ways, as we go into our professional world, into college studies, graduate studies… We are kind of shaped and encouraged to be safer in the way we act. And that can have ramifications when it comes to standing up for justice and democracy because it isn’t always comfortable; for those you’re challenging, but also for those that are doing it. It’s not always something that is comfortable, but it matters. And it matters to people who often haven’t had the opportunity to have their voices heard. So… I think that is something that I’m proud of, but also one that I continue to challenge myself, where I can take those risks and make a difference."
John Bonifaz, who currently serves as the Co-Founder and President at Free Speech For People, joined the Quaker Matters Podcast and discusses the impact of attending WFS, the importance of voting rights, why big money in politics can be problematic, and why he has spent his entire career fighting to reclaim democracy.
As part of their unit on the constitution, 8th grade students recently met with Judge Eliza Hirst. Eliza and her colleague Paige Chapman delivered an engaging presentation focused on young people's constitutional rights.
This school year, we launched an exciting Read-Aloud series where our Middle and Upper School Quaker Cares Club students visit the Lower School to share powerful messages about self-esteem.
WFS sixth graders visited Penn Museum last week in preparation for their upcoming social studies unit on Ancient Greece. Students toured galleries and participated in hands-on activities with artifacts to learn about culture and daily life in Ancient Greece.
Easton Martinenza ‘27, Elia Lichterman '28, and Kylie Poole '28 gained valuable leadership and advocacy skills at the Quaker Youth Leadership Conference (QYLC) held at Carolina Friends School, engaging in meaningful experiences centered on social change and environmental responsibility.
Upper school sports winter captains recently visited the lower school. During their visit, captains discussed the strategy behind their respective sports, demonstrated various drills that students could practice at recess or home, and got everyone in the lower school excited by leading them in some of their favorite cheers!
Last week, Chamber Singers participated in the annual Four-School Workshop and Festival Concert with choirs from Sanford, Tatnall, and Tower Hill schools.
Seventh-grade astronomy students are exploring key space-related concepts such as black holes, extraterrestrial life, and space exploration while demonstrating their understanding through research, collaboration, and multimedia presentations. Students are applying scientific reasoning, computational thinking, and math skills to analyze data, communicate findings, and expand their knowledge of the universe.
The HL IB Biology students were working on data collection for their internal assessment. Each student has formulated a research question and designed an experiment to attempt to answer the question. All the experiments are biological and include topics such as investigating plant propagation, germination, enzyme activity, fermentation, antibiotic resistance, and many others.
The WFS Upper School Student Run Production is a yearly tradition where students create, direct, produce (and often write) their own vision for the stage. This year’s production, Yellow Wallpaper, is being directed and led by two seniors. Yellow Wallpaper was adapted from the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
8th grade students have been working hard on their annual musical. On February 28, students will perform, High School Musical, for the entire school to see. Each member of the class participates—as a member of the cast, pit band, stage crew, or technical crew.
Peace posters from the WFS Class of 2037 were on display as part of the 2025 Visionary Peace Youth Art Exhibition with Pacem in Terris at the Wilmington Library!
Our third Lower School Culture Quest of the year celebrated the Lunar New Year! Lower and middle school faculty and upper and middle school students led activities aimed at teaching students about the history and culture of the Lunar New Year through reading, crafts, and food!
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.