Community

Every school offers academic classes, dedicated teachers, classrooms and gym floors, soccer fields and locker rooms. Tandem Friends is no different in those respects. What sets Tandem Friends apart from the rest is the amazing sense of community that exists between faculty and students, faculty and parents, the school and the many organizations our community service projects touch, between faculty coworkers. You can feel it the minute you set foot on campus - a sense of caring kindness and connections to one another.

Take a stroll on the quad during a sunny lunchtime, and you will find students and faculty eating together, taking the time to understand an assignment or finish a conversation in class that sparked interest. Parents volunteer in the lunchroom, getting to know each student by name. In the lobby, a group of sixth graders might be eating lunch together, chatting with nearby adults. Faculty friends share a bench and a lunchtime talk. It's not unusual to find Tandem alums dropping in, seeking out favorite teachers to share what's new in their lives. A guitar and a fiddle might strike up a tune, or an electric guitar and some drums. Each small cluster of friends knows that they are part of the much larger community of learners that is Tandem - students, faculty, parents, alums, and friends.

Tandem is also unique in many of the facets of the Friends education we provide, such as service learning and community service, environmental stewardship, diversity, a celebrated summer arts program, and a strong and democratic student government. There are also many special projects and special days that are 'uniquely Tandem,' cherished traditions that every student values and remembers forever.