Heads of Friends Council Elementary, Secondary & Early Childhood Spring  Spring Gathering 2024

April 18-19, 2024

Historic Arch Street Meeting House

320 Arch Street, Philadelphia PA 19106

We are extending an invitation to board clerks/chairs to attend with the heads of schools Thursday, April 18, 2024
from 11:30am - 8:00pm.

Registration Fee:
HEADS [Thu 11:30 am Fri 12noon] - $175 per person
BOARD CLERK/CHAIR [Thu 11:30am - 8pm] - $150
[includes program & meals]
Limited financial assistance is available. Free onsite parking is available.

          REGISTER HERE!          

• Friends Council Annual Meeting & Luncheon
  Celebrating the Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Schools graduating cohort.

• Farewell Tribute to Deborra Sines Pancoe

• Board Chair/Clerk & Head of School Spring Dinner & Dialogue 2024

• Meeting for Worship

• Small Group and Affinity Group Discussions

Friends Council Leadership Institute Action Research Presentations 

Our annual meeting will feature the Action Research Presentation of the 10th graduating cohort of the Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Schools. Followed by a casual Leadership Reunion at a nearby pub.

Farewell Tribute to Deborra Sines Pancoe

If you have participated in a Friends Council professional development offering sometime over the past twenty years, you have been a beneficiary of Deborra’s creative thinking and careful planning. In her role as Associate Director of Friends Council Deborra has brought thousands of Friends school educators from numerous Friends Schools together in dynamic, engaging programming that is aligned with their needs as well as developments in the world around us. Deborra has led our Spirited Practice and Renewed Courage (SPARC) program, brought SEED as an offering for Friends School educators, and ferried Friends Council programming through the pandemic. She brings a very deliberate and steadfast perspective to her work as an active Quaker, school trustee, and former Friends school educator. On April 18th we will celebrate and honor our associate director as she prepares to retire in June of this year. 

Head of School & Board Chair/Clerk Spring Dinner & Dialogue 2024

Joint Gathering of Friends Council and Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools [ADVIS].
Heads of Friends Council member schools and school board chairs/clerks will share a delicious dinner by the Culinart Group and a keynote address by Caroline Blackwell.

Caroline Blackwell
As Vice President for Equity and Justice, Caroline Blackwell leads the creation and implementation of products and services that support NAIS’s commitment to develop and sustain inclusive independent school communities.

Prior to joining NAIS, Caroline served as the executive director of the Metro Human Relations Commission in Nashville, Tennessee. Before that, she worked as director of multicultural affairs for the University School of Nashville. Caroline holds numerous certifications in mediation, conflict resolution, and facilitation. A long-time volunteer with NAIS, Caroline is the lead facilitator for the Diversity Leadership Institute, has been a chair and now leads NAIS’s People of Color Conference, and is also a contributor to NAIS publications.