Mary McDowell Friends School embraces the rich history of Quakerism from which it stems, and incorporates the values into the daily life of the school. At the beginning of each school year, the entire MMFS student body and faculty participate in a mini- unit study of a specific Quaker testimony. The focus for the 2011-2012 school year is the testimony of Equality.

Quakers have a long tradition of working on behalf of equal rights. As a school, MMFS asserts that all students can learn and that each person has unique and valuable contributions to make. We strive to embrace each other's differences and to give voice to all groups of people in our curriculum, celebrations and other expressions of community values.

This year, students in every division - elementary, middle and upper - have examined equality in developmentally appropriate ways. Through participation in activities that illustrate different aspects of equality and by studying history though the stories of individuals who fought for a range of rights, students are expanding their awareness of equality beyond themselves. As the year progresses, there will be many more opportunities for students to deepen their study of equality and put what they are learning into action.