Olney Friends School — Defining the Future

“Olney Friends School changed the course of my life.” Class of 2014

Campaign Update: April 4, 2018

We have been working hard to record each of your donations and pledges to Olney’s Defining the Future campaign.

We are elated to announce that you have contributed $360,022!

That’s 144% of our $250,000 goal!

(with a few more donations still on their way to us)

Your incredible show of support makes it easy, and very sweet, for us to announce that:

Olney Friends School will open for the 2018-19 school year!

Along with our excitement is a profound sense of humility. Over the past two months, we have received much more than your monetary donations: we have heard about the ways Olney Friends School changed your life, felt your concern and love for this community, and listened to your suggestions on becoming more financially sustainable. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for supporting Olney Friends School.

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Onward Toward Sustainability

Raising $250,000 was a Herculean task, but no match for our strong Olney community! Though the campaign is over, the work to truly Define the Future of Olney Friends School begins now.

As mentioned in our previous email, we are working with EMD Consulting to help identify and address Olney’s biggest sustainability challenges. We will be sure to keep you in the loop as we continue through the process of their evaluation throughout the spring.

How you can help!

The immense success of the Defining the Future campaign is just one example that proves we would not be here without you. Here are four easy ways you can continue contributing to a sustainable future for Olney Friends School:

  • Come home to visit

Our graduates are spread across the globe and making it back to campus for community events can be a challenge. In recent years, we have seen a sharp decline in the number of graduates returning to campus and, honestly, we really miss seeing you here! There are a lot of ways to make your way back home to Olney:

  • Join us for Alumni Meeting and Commencement, May 25-26, and Homecoming in October 
  • Organize a class reunion or alumni gathering 
  • Volunteer to come to campus and share your unique knowledge and skills with current Olney students 
  • Help us build the next generation of Olney students

Word-of-mouth continues to be the most common way students and families learn about Olney. Please take time to think of families that might benefit from joining the Olney community and put them in touch with us. Just click here to send the contact information to Dustin, our Admissions Director, and he will do the rest!

Olney thrives when you share with us your unique talents and insights as well as your financial support. In our initial Defining the Future appeal, we stressed the importance of contributing toward the Annual Fund to ensure a healthy future for Olney. We all deserve a moment to celebrate the success of the Defining the Future campaign; but in the upcoming weeks, we will be in touch about the status of the Annual Fund and how you can contribute to it. Consider becoming a sustaining, monthly contributor!

  • Stay in the loop

Keep in touch with Olney by following us on Facebook and Instagram.Thank you again for your incredible support of Olney Friends School.

In Peace,

Cynthia Walker & Micah Brownstein

Interim Co-Heads of School


Olney changed my son’s life. If I could monetize that, I would … I speak of Olney nearly every day. — Parent, Class of 2015


I was recently inspired by the idea that the journey of life is about re-finding your true self. That we were born complete, and then forget who we are, and as we grow and change, we are simply becoming more of who we were in the first place.

Olney Friends School changed the course of my life. It molded me at a vital time in my growing-up, and I will be forever grateful for the lessons learned through the community there. I cannot express enough how much this school affected me, in the most positive way. I attended one year at this school, yet the impact has been long-lasting…

Olney Friends helped me find parts of myself that I cherish to this day. I know that our youth will benefit from Olney as a place to learn, grow, play, share, and love. Countless lives have already been brightened by their mission; we can’t let their mission die. Let’s give back to a place that is constantly giving. — Class of 2014


Olney teaches environmental science in a way that you will not find in many high schools in the U.S. It has the Captina Conservancy to expand education on how what we do affects our environment. — Class of 1982, parent of classes 2005 and 2007


If you’re like me … Olney has played an important role in the life you live today. For some of you, Olney was where you were able to be a little weirdo and still be loved, where you learned a new language, met your future partner or spouse, and made some of your best, lifelong friends.

Olney was the first place in the whole world that I felt comfortable enough to come out as gay. And it is the place where my love of culture and languages was born. I am who I am today because of Olney Friends School. I do not know who I would be if it weren’t for Olney, but I am sure I am a better person for joining that little community … on the hill. — Class of 2006


Please direct questions about the school, this campaign, or how you can help, to any of the following:

Heads of School (https://www.olneyfriends.org/directory/)

Development Office (alumni@olneyfriends.org)

Board of Trustees (https://www.olneyfriends.org/board-of-trustees/)

Email: mainoffice@olneyfriends.org

Phone: 740-425-3655