What makes Thornton a Friends School? 

How do we express Quaker beliefs and practices in what we do? 

How do those expressions of Quaker beliefs and practices make us a better school?

These are questions we ask ourselves on a regular basis.  They could be answered in different ways by different people at different times, but the process of thinking about what makes us a Friends school is a useful one.

A core part of our mission is to be a Friends School and provide a spiritual environment for learning.  Our mission statement expresses it thus: “We believe that the insight found in the silence of meeting for Worship is central to that search,” for Truth.  So we believe that participating in Meeting for Worship, sitting in silence, especially communal silence, is vital.  Friends believe in the “still, small voice,” that lives in each of us and that the voice within is more readily accessed in silence shared with others. 

Insights gained through silence inform who we are, what we believe and how we act.  They are the distilled wisdom from many sources.  Without calm, reflective time, how can we make sense of our busy lives?  How can we assess all the different messages we receive from our friends, our families, our teachers, the media?  Meeting for worship is central.  We engage in it twice a week to remind ourselves how to pause and be still with intention, the intention of listening  We hope that all who pass through Thornton carry forward the habit and desire to find silent spaces as they move into adulthood.  We hope that taking time to reflect brings regular rewards now and into the future.

Many of us have had “Aha!” moments, of clarity, of joy, of sadness, of inspiration, that compel us to action.  Thus, a second way in which Thornton Friends School expresses Quaker beliefs and practices is through encouraging and allowing its students and faculty to act on their beliefs.  Friends believe that to be a person of integrity, one must develop beliefs and then put them into action.  Belief without action is hollow; action without belief is cynical; but belief translated into action which expresses and supports that belief leads to powerful testimony and a world made healthier and more integrated.  Community service, eighth grade and senior projects and self-assessment and portfolio presentations reflect Thornton Friends School’s desire to call students to turn their hopes and dreams into reality, their belief into action.

Peaceful resolution of conflict is a third Quaker belief that we practice here at Thornton.  Friends believe there is always a way to resolve disagreement or conflict that does not involve violence in word or deed.  In our working through conflict with students, whether it be student-student conflict or student-teacher conflict, we model and teach behavior that encourages speaking compassionate truth about the situation.  We believe that not having the safe space to voice one’s views, hopes and disappointments can lead to frustration and anger, two things likely to lead to poor resolution of conflict.  We therefore give each party in a conflict time to give voice to their expression of how the conflict came to be.  Eventually resolution arrives through the shared conversation.

A fundamental belief of Quakers or Friends is that we believe in the Light (or God) within every person.  This belief is expressed at Thornton Friends School in many ways.  I will highlight a few.  First, the Light within is the primary reason Friends worship in silence.  The theory is that silent worship gives one access to the Light which offers insights and wisdom that comes from this source within (the still small voice mentioned earlier.)  Worship as a group is the model in order to highlight the ways in which Community is at the center of Quaker tradition.  Friends believe, and we as a school have experienced, that group silence and worship feel different from individual worship and meditation.  Collective wisdom and spiritual insight supplements and offers challenges and rewards that differ from those of individual worship. 

Second, we are a very small community and we allow and encourage every student and faculty member to find and develop their authentic selves.  We all seek the gifts each of us brings to the world and to this school.  We also encourage the exploration of weaknesses and areas where further work is needed in all areas, from academic to social to personal.  Because of this belief in the Light within, we work hard to create an environment that is, at once, safe to acknowledge strengths and weaknesses and also challenging of reflection and growth.

The third aspect of Thornton related to the Light within is that we believe all members of our community, student and faculty alike, have insights ideas and information worthy of sharing and exploring.  In classes and out, we learn from one another.  Though there are “teachers” and “students”, all contribute to the learning.  Ways that this happens include student centered projects and courses and activities rising out of student interest.  Quoting from our draft pedagogical statement, “academic [and personal] growth is fostered by meeting each student where he or she is, and then challenging each to reach and extend the limits of his or her abilities and understanding.”

A final aspect of Thornton I will discuss here related to the Light within is our graduation ceremonies at each of the three campuses.  Our eighth grade ceremony and the two high school ceremonies are designed to celebrate each individual and symbolize their growth and the love and support that surround each of them in their time at Thornton.  Silence is followed by brief remarks and readings, then, primarily, about five minutes devoted to each graduate in which their peers, family and loved ones speak into the silence about their feelings for their graduate.  Some share sweet anecdotes about significant moments or areas of growth, some share well wishes for the future.  All who share do so in personal ways that are meaningful for their graduate and that celebrate some aspect of their “Light within.”  It is a powerful ceremony.

How does all of this make us a better school?  Practicing peace, celebrating the light within, participating in silent, communal worship, enabling our students to act on their beliefs and become people of integrity all contribute to a school that is very personal and spiritual in its approach to education.  We facilitate academic, spiritual, social and physical growth in our students allowing them to become authentic, motivated, ethical young people.  They discover their “best selves.”  They contribute to the betterment of our school community and, ultimately to the betterment of the world.

Our mission statement says it best:

Thornton Friends School seeks to inspire and sustain the members of its educational community in their individual and collective search for truth. 

We believe that the insight found in the silence of meeting for Worship is central to that search.

Small by design, nurturing of individuals and community, and based on Quaker principles, Thornton Friends School seeks to empower each of its students to build on their innate inspiration, talent and spiritual centers to imagine and realize their vision.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions.

Michael DeHart

Head of School

mdehart@thorntonfriends.org