Sandy Spring Friends School

Sandy Spring Friends School’s (SSFS) Community Play is back after a hiatus due to the pandemic! Four years after its last full staging, this longstanding, hard-working tradition that is done only through wide-spread involvement from so many areas of our school community,  combines our robust arts programming with the connected, inclusive spirit of the School, drawing on our founding history of radical optimism, genuine belonging and courageous risk-taking. Read about the history of the Community Play, hear from past participants about what makes this event so special, and find out how you can get involved. 

While in our modern minds the name may conjure up many different connotations, this year's SSFS Upper School's Fall Play, the Caucasian Chalk Circle, is a fresh spin on an ancient Chinese folk tale and Biblical story centered around the Caucasus Mountain region. It’s a maze of ethical questions, challenging the audience and the actors on multiple levels. Brecht's play illuminates profound insights, explores the concepts of class and status, and actively engages the audience in spinning narratives of justice, love, and sacrifice. Come see the play: Dec. 15-16, 2023!  

As a senior during the 2021-2022 school year, William Henderson set his sights on an ivy-league-caliber school. Thanks to the personal attention and support of the College Counseling Department—which, he says, is “really good at matching students to the schools that fit them”—William is now a sophomore at the College of William & Mary and soaking up all that college life has to offer. In this spotlight, William shares five ways SSFS helped prepare him for college and reach his potential.

At Sandy Spring Friends School, our curricular and co-curricular programs offer an extraordinary experience that transcends the standard expectations for a college preparatory school. The School’s sense of community and the values-based education blend knowledge with a broader context, empowering our students to cultivate meaningful connections and emerge as positive change-makers on a global scale. See examples from the classroom in Lower, Middle, and Upper School.

This fall, the SSFS dorm welcomed 18 new dorm students and 7 new dorm staff to our boarding program. From on-campus activities like weekly community dinners and Halloween bonfires to off-campus trips to the National Zoo and Kennedy Center theater, it's been a busy fall for the SSFS boarding community!

This fall, the Upper School will stage Bertolt Brecht's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" on Fri., Dec. 15 at 7:00 PM, and on Sat., Dec. 16 at 2:00 PM and at 7:00 PM in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). Friday and Saturday night performances will be followed by an audience Q&A with the cast.

On Oct. 17, SSFS students, faculty, and staff began the day with a walk to the Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting House for an all-school Meeting for Worship. We then gathered in cross-divisional Family Groups for bonding activities, art projects, on-campus service/stewardship, and lunch. In the afternoon, we played Morley Games and Captain's Calling, and ended the day with an all-school aerial photo.

Our middle- and upper-school fall sport student athletes were celebrated at the all-school pep rally on Friday, Oct. 13, which also included fun games and lots of dancing!