Experiential Learning at SSFS

In his latest blog post, Francis Zell '00 (aka Farmer Franny) describes why microgreens pack a lot of nutrition into a tiny plant. What's even better, Franny writes, is that our preschool and kindergarteners LOVE to plant them, and the trays of greens that they provide to CulinArt help offset the cost of our food service!

Save the date of May 27, 6:30–8:45 PM, to watch students culminate their Senior Passion Project experience with a presentation about their chosen topics, sharing reflections about the process and what they learned with the SSFS community. In advance of the May 27 presentations, the SSFS community is also invited to the premiere of Jonathan Humphrey's solo dance debut and exhibit titled "Brute: Explorations of Black Maleness Through Performance and Visual Art." This event premiere will take place on Saturday, May 16, in the PAC-Studio B at 7:00 PM. Please mark your calendar for both events!

DECA is an international organization encouraging development of business and entrepreneurship skills through educational opportunities and competitions. For the second year in a row we had a student place in the top 3 in their category at the State convention and thereby earn a spot at the International Career Development Conference. 

The SSFS Upper School Engineering Club competed in this year's Washington DC Electric Vehicle Grand Prix (DCEVGP), along with 29 other public and private high schools in Washington DC, Maryland, Ohio and Virginia. Participation in the DCEVGP serves as an excellent opportunity for students to apply engineering, science, and math principles and strategy to construct and race battery powered electric cars, and improve understanding of renewable energy technologies. This year, the SSFS Engineering Club joined with two racing cars! Drivers swap out periodically during the race - see the driver swap below!

Throughout the week of April 20-24, SSFS celebrated the many ways we seek to be stewards of the SSFS community, campus, and world. During an All-School Event on Apr. 22, we gathered in cross-divisional Community Day groups to eat lunch together and participate in a “Stewardship Search,” where, stopping at different stations across our campus, we identified and reflected on all of the ways in which we are stewards. Seniors and their Lower School buddies also participated in service work across our campus. 

SSFS is thrilled to invite the community to an SSFS author talk, “Imperial Echoes, Frontier Voices: Mythmaking, Stories, and the National Identity” on Wed., May 13 at 7:00 PM in the Performing Arts Center. This event will feature two authors: Sandy Spring Friends School History teacher Mark Ehlers, Ph.D., and visiting historian Megan Kate Nelson, Ph.D., who is a former Friends school teacher. The event will be moderated by Jenny Yacovissi, Bethesda, MD native and author of Up the Hill to Home. This vibrant conversation will focus on the historical and current significance of Mark and Megan's most recent books in today's world and political climate. Please join us for an enlightening and thoughtful exploration of how the past and present connect.

The PAC Theater was buzzing with intellectual energy and friendly competition on April 27, as the SSFS Upper School hosted the annual Quiz Bowl All-Star Assembly—a beloved tradition now in its second decade.  

The 7th Grade traveled to Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry for their annual spring overnight trip in April, where the activities provided a variety of academic enrichment tie-ins with their English, History, and Science classes. 

Throughout the week, we will be highlighting and celebrating the many ways we are stewards of the SSFS community and world (people AND planet!). During the All-School Event on Apr. 22, we will gather in our cross-divisional Community Day groups to eat lunch together and participate in a “Stewardship Search” where we identify and reflect on all of the ways in which we are performing as campus stewards.

SSFS 5th graders created unique projects and presentations that combined knowledge about Black artists, writers, scientists, mathematicians, athletes, and changemakers with math, art, science, technology, and writing. Students worked collaboratively in small groups, where they created story quilts using geometry, graphic and textile arts, recycled materials, and storytelling; did a poetry study that combined literary arts with multiplication and technology; created beautifully-designed solar system/planet cards honoring Benjamin Banneker's contributions to astronomy and math; and showcased some of their favorite Black athletes with artistic puzzles that, when put together using math equations, formed images of jerseys and sports equipment. 

MS and 4th Grade students are helping to raise newly-hatched chicks, and getting a first-hand look at their growth and development. The new hens will join our existing on-campus brood outside once they are old enough to safely move.

Our Preschool explorers are getting a first-hand look at the life cycle of frogs. They were thrilled to see hundreds of tiny tadpoles in our pond, and they look forward to seeing all stages of the transformation unfold in real time.

From our own backyard here in Maryland to California, Puerto Rico, and beyond, Upper School students participated in various experiential learning opportunities during Intersession week. Students immersed themselves in new cultures, engaged in meaningful service, and grew together in community. Hear from students and staff by visiting the 2026 Upper School Intersession Week Blog.

Middle School students immersed themselves in  hands-on learning with various academic, artistic, and athletic workshops, culminating with a gallery walk and showcases from each group.

With curiosity, wonder, and courage, our Preschool kids explored the world of arthropods during their in-house field trip with Village Edu staff. During their session, students learned about molting and the life cycle stages of incomplete and complete metamorphoses, made friends with a ghost mantis, pet a toad, and even gave a tarantula a high-five!

February's Middle School Community Assembly focused on Humanities courses. The assembly began with presentations from the the 6th and 7th graders related to the 6th grade reading of Lois Lowry's The Giver. The 8th graders then shared beautiful and powerful original poetry and artwork related to their recent study of citizenship in the United States. 

Lower School students have been marking the school days on the calendar, and they recently celebrated the 100th Day of School with a variety of activities, including math games, sorting and counting by tens, and more. The Kindergarten class prepared for the big 1-0-0 by making colorful masks in their Spanish class - see their work in the video, below!

For the first time in program history, Sandy Spring Friends School’s Quiz Bowl Team has been crowned champions of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL), finishing a remarkable Championship Round with a perfect 4–0 record against the region’s top academic teams. The championship match pitted SSFS against defending champions and top-seeded Montgomery Blair High School in a dramatic contest worthy of the occasion. Read details of the match below, and don't forget to watch the opening round of WETA's It's Academic on Sat., March 7 at 10 AM or 7 PM (also streaming on WETA’s YouTube channel after March 7). 

SSFS Torch Rep to Student Life Sophia P. '27 recently filmed and edited video interviews highlighting some of our Upper School student club leaders. The club leaders share why they started their club, and what they do throughout the year. 

On Friday, Feb. 27, the SSFS 6th graders enjoyed a full-day field trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. This trip enhanced and brought to life curricular content from their history and science classes.

With temperatures are fluctuating between freezing and mild, this is the perfect time to tap our campus maple trees for their sweet sap. Students in 1st and 2nd grade, who have been studying trees in Science, got to taste some of the sap!

The 2026 Quaker Youth Leadership Conference was hosted this year by Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, from January 29-31. The theme of the conference was Creat(iv)e Change, and as shared on the website, it was chosen "as a way of highlighting the connections between art - and human creativity in general - and our never-ending work for a more just, more peaceful world." Read more about the trip's activities an impact on the student participants...

Looking for a fun and surprising way to discover your next favorite book? Join us for: Blind Date with a Book, February 5th – March 2, 2026! Come to Yarnall Library to pick out a wrapped book with some clues about the topic. After finishing your book, fill out a "Rate Your Date" card to enter a March 4 raffle drawing!
 

On February 5, the SSFS Quiz Bowl Team traveled to Richard Montgomery High School for the Semifinal Round of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL) Playoffs. After earning their playoff berth for the 13th consecutive season and entering the round as the league’s #2 overall seed, SSFS faced the high-stakes reality of postseason competition. The team rose to the challenge in commanding fashion. SSFS finished the Semifinal Round undefeated at 3–0. Beyond the scoreboard, the round showcased the team’s preparation, resilience, and trust in one another. See below for the MABL post-match summary by Quiz Bowl Coach Eduardo Polón.

In celebration of passion and promise in language study, the Global Languages Department is proud to celebrate 6 outstanding Sandy Spring Friends School language learners whose respective results on the May 2025 AP French Language & Culture and AP Spanish Language & Culture exams qualify them for Global Seal of Biliteracy certification. Click below to read more!