“To go back to the Quaker SPICES… I think the foundation of what Wilmington Friends School is… it turns out good people. Yes, of course, it’s about the education, but it’s also about the people this place turns out. It turns out good people who will do good.”

Lesley Tryon ’71, the Assistant Director of Finance at WFS, joined the Quaker Matters Podcast. In this episode, Lesley discusses how the business office supports faculty, staff, and students, why she has chosen to serve the school for over 30 years, and the decision to send her children to WFS. Enjoy!

“There’s no need to be modest about your ambitions or your hopes. If there is something that you want to do or something that you want to see happen in the world, move toward it one little step at a time, and you can be a part of how things change.”

Zach Williams ’02, an author and Jones Lecturer in Fiction at Stanford University, joined the Quaker Matters Podcast. In this episode, Zach discusses the importance of his WFS teachers and how they inspired him to get into the teaching profession, what he enjoys most about writing, what it’s like to get a story published in The New Yorker, and his new book titled, "Beautiful Days.”

“It prepares you to be a better citizen of the world, both going out into the world and receiving people into your own world who might not speak English. I also think it gives kids a sense that there is more than one normal in the world; there is more than one way to think about something because language has a big effect on how we perceive the world.”

Laura Jersild Pardo ’90, who serves as a middle school Spanish teacher at WFS, joined the Quaker Matters Podcast. In this episode, Laura discusses the importance of teaching Language at the middle school level, how she uses movement in the classroom each day to engage students, and what the future of Wilmington Friends looks like. Enjoy!