Back-to-School Picnic brings students and families to campus.

Saying goodbye to summer can feel bittersweet, but there was a wonderful sense of coming back together as the Sidwell Friends community kicked off the 2025-26 school year.

“Each year is filled with hope and possibility,” said Head of School Bryan Garman, excited to welcome new and returning students and families as well as new and seasoned faculty and staff. “We are very fortunate here at Sidwell Friends School not only because we get to ask questions that are complex, but we also get to live the questions and to seek the truth together,” he said. 

Garman’s enthusiasm matched the energetic vibe at the all-school Back-to-School Picnic, an annual event for families from all divisions. The Dining Services team at Meriweather Godsey prepared a picnic feast of bbq sliders, mac and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, and italian ices. Families, including kids of all sizes and ages, reveled in an array of activities and games. The little kids enjoyed an inflatable slide, bubble wands, and an impromptu hopscotch match adlibbed on a path of flagstones. Older students tried their hand at trivia, estimating games, and cornhole and cheered on the Girls JV Field Hockey team, which tied Holy Cross 1-1. The Sidwell Spirit Exchange attracted a crowd, and many in the community, thoughtfully, donated gently used books to give to Martha’s Table. 

As the picnic wound down, one little boy at the “tattoo table” said to another, “Look at me!” as he pressed a fifth temporary tattoo of Sidwell’s fox mascot onto his arm. Across the table, a new preK student asked, pointing to a tiny patch of skin on her chin, “Do you think I can fit another one on my face?” The spirit of Sidwell Friends School was alive and well.

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