The Friends School of Minnesota (FSMN) is a Kindergarten through

Eighth Grade Eighth grade (or grade eight in some regions) is the eighth post-kindergarten year of formal education in the US. The eighth grade is the ninth school year, the second, third, fourth, or final year of middle school, or the second and/or final ye ...

(K-8)

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1988 by area Quakers and peace activists, the goal of the school is to meet "children’s intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs in an environment that nurtures their social consciousness."http://www.fsmn.org/about Friends School of Minnesota Website FSMN is fully accredited through th
Independent Schools Association of the Central States

Philosophy

Like the many other

Quaker schools Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

in the United States, FSMN is "grounded in the practices and values of the Religious Society of Friends" (Quakers). Among these values are "simplicity, equality, non-violence, justice, and silent reflection.".https://www.fsmn.org/about/our-approach FSMN Educational Philosophy To cultivate these values and to promote and encourage the spiritual, social, emotional, and physical development of the children, the school employs many of the tenets of progressive education—recognizing the need for children to play a part in their own education. This approach also fits with the Quaker belief that each person is granted a measure of "divine light" or wisdom, a center from which we are able to grow into our fullest potential.http://www.quakerinfo.org/quakerism/beliefs.html Quaker Information Center: Quaker Beliefs Friends School of Minnesota is a member of the Friends Council on Education.https://www.friendscouncil.org/page.cfm?p=597&start=1 FSMN at Friends Council on Education

Quaker Tradition

In addition to the Quaker underpinning of the school's educational philosophy, FSMN also practices the Quaker method of holding a traditional meeting for worship, which is a 30-minute silent meeting once a week.http://www.quakerinfo.org/quakerism/worship.html Quaker Information Center: Quaker Worship All committee, staff and faculty meetings also start and end with silent contemplation. Decisions are made by consensus "in the manner of Friends". Additionally, FSMN has developed a conflict resolution program to help children work through their conflicts with each other in a non-violent constructive manner.http://www.fsmn.org/about/our-approach/conflict-resolution Friends School conflict resolution program

Demographics

The school's enrollment is typically between 155 and 168 students from around the Twin Cities metropolitan area. About 10 percent of the children at the school and less than 5 percent of the faculty and staff are Quakers or come from Quaker families. The school bylaws do, however, require that a majority of board members be practicing Quakers.http://www.fsmn.org/school-committee About the FSM School Committee Approximately one third of the students are non-caucasian, many students come from families headed by LGBT parents,https://fsmn.org/sites/default/files/fsm-demographic-report-2011.pdf 2011 FSM demographic report and over a quarter of the students receive financial aid.

References

Education in Saint Paul, Minnesota Educational institutions established in 1988 Private elementary schools in Minnesota Private middle schools in Minnesota Quaker schools in Minnesota Schools in Ramsey County, Minnesota 1988 establishments in Minnesota