What Community Means at a Quaker Boarding School
A Quaker boarding school is a unique environment cultivating a close-knit, values-based community. Teens who may struggle in a traditional high school quickly find their place in this new setting. Embarking on an alternative school route might seem challenging, but knowing they will have the support of an established community can make this decision easier.
Boarding school gives young people the opportunity to join and participate in something bigger than themselves. Academics matter, certainly, but these institutions let your teen become part of a lasting community.
Boarding school options seem endless, yet community-focused boarding schools create welcoming spaces where your teen can truly feel at home. When considering sending your child to school away from home, their emotional support and connections are what matter most. Quaker schools provide what many other boarding institutions cannot: authentic community bonds.
These Quaker residential institutions blend strong academics with values that can strengthen your teen’s individual sense of purpose.
What Exactly is a Quaker Boarding School?
Quakers belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a faith community that lives by principles of simplicity and equality, focusing heavily on peace and non-violence. They believe that everyone has goodness with them, which they call an “inner light.” Focusing on this inner light reframes how we see people as we choose to see the positive attributes of those around us.
These schools weave Quaker values and principles throughout campus life, creating secure environments for fresh experiences alongside demanding academics.
What can you expect from a Quaker boarding school?
- Curiosity is welcomed and explored. Students freely share ideas, navigating them with peers from diverse backgrounds. This leads to thoughtful reflection and authentic understanding.
- An inquiry-based curriculum means teens explore, ask questions, collaborate, and discover new ideas in a safe environment. Students develop critical thinking to ask meaningful questions.
- Quaker values enable students to connect what they are learning to its relevance in daily life.
- The Quaker approach offers diversity in education. This type of school expands young adolescents’ way of thinking. With mutual respect for others, everyone’s voice and opinions can be heard. Learning in such a diverse environment offers your teen the opportunity to develop skills that other schools cannot provide.
Quaker boarding schools are open to students and families of any religion, or none. People may think that a Quaker boarding school is only for practicing Quakers, but this is not at all the case.. Learning Quaker values does not ask students to have a specific religion, faith, or belief.
Quaker boarding schools are designed with diversity in mind. Allowing room for all religions to practice, engage, and reflect while being a part of a robust academic environment that is heavily focused on community.
Why Should Parents Consider a Quaker Boarding School?
Community-Based Learning
The strong sense of community that a Quaker school offers is the number one reason why most parents consider this type of school over others. A community-based school can provide the support teens need to grow and thrive in all areas of their lives.
Community-based learning equips young adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in the workforce and beyond. Collaborating with others is a crucial soft skill essential in the home, workplace, and community. This will help shape teens into model citizens who will care for their neighbors and show them kindness when needed.
Community-focused schools are highly valuable in today’s world because they enable students to form lifelong bonds. When students work together regularly, they pick up teamwork skills that help them later in jobs and relationships. They learn to help their classmates and be there for each other when things get tough. These bonds can help teens who otherwise struggle to find a place in this world.
Values in Curriculum
Values are naturally woven into the heart of lessons. This value-based education helps foster more well-rounded individuals who are ready to take on the world. Creating kind individuals who value others can be achieved with the help of a community-based school that incorporates values into its curriculum.
Creativity
Creativity is welcomed and valued in Quaker schools. It is not only welcomed but also encouraged, as students explore topics, ask questions, and really learn the curriculum they are being taught. With values woven into every lesson, teens will grow into creative spirits that are kind and accepting of all people.
Schedule Your Campus Tour Today
Want a school where your teen won’t disappear into the background? Our classes stay small – usually 8 to 12 kids – so teachers can give each student personal attention within a close-knit community. Take a virtual tour, and check out what we’re all about. Schedule your campus tour today and experience firsthand what makes Olney Friends School a leading Quaker boarding school.
