Sidwell Friends starts the year with diversity and celebration.

Sidwell Friends’ Back-to-School Picnic swept the community into the start of the academic year with games, contests, and fajitas—all to the sounds of the faculty jazz ensemble. Even Star Fox made an appearance to the delight of the youngest students.

The enthusiastic vibe matched that of earlier this month, when the students first arrived on campus with energy and excitement, high fives and hugs. Seniors entered through a fringe of gold foil curtains before taking a selfie with Mamadou while the youngest learners celebrated the adventures to come with parents and new friends. 

The student body itself is more diverse than ever before: 59 percent are students of color. And 23 percent are on financial aid with an average grant of $36,063. There are 1,143 kids enrolled at Sidwell Friends with an almost perfect 50/50 split between males and females—all of whom are from the District, Maryland, or Virginia but for one. We’ve welcomed an exchange student from Ramallah this year.

Throughout divisions, the teachers and staff continue to innovate with the latest educational research in mind. One example: it’s the first year that students in the Upper School will experience the new science curriculum, which begins with physics taught in the 9th grade. Meanwhile the Middle School has already started auditions for its fall play, and the Lower Schoolers are learning to sit in silence (one can hope). 

To look around at the picnic festivities last week was to see a kaleidoscope of Sidwell Friends swag and high spirits that give lie to the “back-to-school” routine. Here, each year marks the start of a new adventure.