Sandy Spring Friends Upper School
What happens when you combine an intellectually rigorous education with a deep sense of belonging? Experience it for yourself at the Upper School at Sandy Spring Friends.
The Upper School develops confident, responsible, thoughtful people who are equipped to be positive changemakers in the wider world. We provide our students with the intellectual and interpersonal skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing, increasingly global community, and we create spaces of authentic belonging so that they are empowered to live lives of purpose. By fostering a culture of mutual respect and trust between our extraordinary faculty and students, we challenge students to take intellectual risks and move beyond their perceived limitations to expand their academic, artistic, athletic, social, and spiritual capacities.
"This is a special place. Our students are bright, curious, and deeply engaged in their learning. While we hold high expectations for academic excellence, we are equally committed to fostering a community grounded in kindness, respect, and genuine care for one another. Having been at SSFS since 2014, I continue to be inspired by the strength of our mission and the wholehearted dedication of those who live it every day. Being a Springer means approaching our work with passion, compassion, and a shared commitment to unity and purpose."
Meredith Shankle
Head of Upper School
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Veronika Jiranova
Admin Assistant - Upper School
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Our Community Speaks: The Upper School Experience
"SSFS students want to live in community, have a sense of purpose, and find ways to contribute to the world. They care about the success of others as much as their own. These are all distinguishing qualities admission officers look for when selecting applicants from a sea of strong grades and test scores."
"This school is really good at building up to where you want to be. It helps you identify your goals and gives you a ladder to get there."
"Because SSFS really encourages going outside of your comfort zone—I took weaving, acting, and engineering—I was exposed to so many different things in high school and learned how to draw interdisciplinary connections. I felt prepared academically and emotionally, understanding that not knowing something isn’t the end of the world.”
"What SSFS provides is a holistic education anchored in warm, responsive relationships between students and teachers. That is exactly what kids need for success. My kids are known and loved at school, and as they grow through their teenage years, I know they’ll never fall through the cracks."
"There’s more to discover in the world than the classes you take in high school. I appreciate SSFS encouraging the mindset that if you're really passionate about something, you should go after it, and providing me with the opportunity. I don’t know if I’d be as involved in college if I hadn’t done the Senior Passion Project at SSFS."
"I’ve worked in several different school settings, and one thing that distinguishes SSFS is the way students are interested in understanding others and the world. I see this through small things every day, such as when students are engaged in conversations about social issues, teachers are fully engaged in providing feedback that supports students’ growth, discovery, and an understanding of each other's point of view."
"At Sandy Spring Friends, you’re encouraged to be multi-disciplinary. I arrived as a dancer and violinist, but since then I’ve taken up photography and ceramics, improved my writing, and started a writing club. You grow inside and outside of class here. It’s a beautiful, welcoming, encouraging place—it’s just amazing here."
"I love that the teachers are more like coaches than distant sages on the stage. As a result, students are able to speak with adults with the same level of comfort as their peers. This emphasizes equality in Quakerism."
Challenge, Exploration, Growth
Through academically rigorous courses, including APs in each discipline, we challenge every learner to achieve at the highest levels. Additionally, our strong arts and athletics programs nurture important habits of mind—risk-taking, problem-solving, cooperation, and perseverance. These, combined with leadership opportunities—including student government —enable our students to gain the skills needed to be successful in college and beyond.
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Global Perspective
Inspired and equipped by our Quaker values, our Upper School students value global connectedness, strive to be good stewards of the earth, and give back through service.
Students become immersed in the world and gain cross-cultural understanding through our Intersession and Summer Service trips.
Learn how we help our students gain a global perspective:
Quaker Values
Underlying all that we do in the Upper School is a commitment to the Quaker SPICES: values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship. Students practice silent and spoken reflection, engage in cooperative decision-making, and demonstrate meaningful community membership in Meeting for Worship.
Learn more about Quaker or "Friends" Education:
