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Head of School
Michael Zimmerman

Thank you for visiting our website. I am Michael Zimmerman, the newly appointed head of Friends School Haverford.

I learned a great deal about Friends School Haverford while attending the sixth grade graduation.  Every one of the 16 students in the graduating class gave a speech.  Friends School Haverford is an intimate community where every child is known and appreciated.

Varied in their personalities, the topics of their speeches, and the style of their delivery, the sixth grade speakers were uniformly poised and articulate, but what impressed me most was the thoughtful and authentic quality of their insights.

The self-proclaimed shyest student in the sixth grade stepped up to the podium.  She looked into the eyes of audience members and described the impact on her life of being a student in this senior class.

Inspired teaching, a close-knit community, and opportunities to be seen by younger students as admirable, smart, and kind led to this moment.  She spoke of the challenge and discomfort of being shy.  She spoke of the value of being drawn out and of the consolation that came from being accepted for who she is.  Chin held high she asserted that her delivery of a graduation speech marked an evolution in her ability to successfully work against her natural proclivity to move away from the spotlight.  Tears ran down the faces of a number of audience members, for many knew how far this shy sixth grader had come.

There were tributes to teachers, celebrations of intellectual and creative achievement, and memorable
moments shared, but in every case the student speaker connected the story they told to lessons learned and to a life changed in some way.

Sitting in the meetinghouse listening to these students, I felt as if I had come in at the end of a great conversation.  Students and teachers explored unknowns, established frameworks for understanding, found answers, and learned about how to find answers together.  Little boys and girls grew and matured and were turning confidently toward their future.

I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Friends School Haverford community.