Academic Excellence

Founded on uniquely collaborative relationships among faculty and students, Tandem Friends offers an academic and intellectual education of the first order.

We nurture in each student an enthusiasm for discovery of knowledge, an appreciation for the beauty and power of ideas, and a hunger for masterful performance. Tandem Friends honors students by challenging them to discover critical skills for a complex world as well as their own unrecognized strengths, inclinations, and sympathies. Tandem graduates are well prepared to continue their formal education at the college level; some seek the added experience of a period of public service, international travel, or opportunity to address a keenly-felt personal challenge. We expect our graduates to lead lives of virtue, excellence and service.

Quaker Values and Integrity

Life in the Tandem community reflects the Quaker belief that there is an ineffable element of the divine in each person, and that the most fulfilling life is one in which we recognize this in ourselves and in others.

We strive to honor the traditional Quaker values of peace, reconciliation and community; a social order marked by equality and justice; simplicity in our personal habits; and an abiding commitment to service and environmental stewardship.

We welcome the contributions of divergent voices which resonate with our core values, understanding that diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints strengthens the educational experience and enriches our lives.

We encourage students to think deeply about what they believe and how their beliefs shape their lives.

Philosophy

The essence of the “Tandem Philosophy” is captured in the school’s unofficial mottoes: “Freedom with Responsibility” and “Kindness and Wisdom.”

“Freedom with Responsibility” is an ideal simple to express, but difficult in practice. Freedom in an educational setting allows for the growth of the individual in ways often unforeseen by both adults and students. This unpredictable quality is the source of much of the excitement and joy in Tandem’s approach to education. Students at Tandem Friends learn that freedom is extended in a direct relationship to responsibility. Responsible freedom is not merely permissive. We require students to consider the consequences of their actions, not just for themselves but for their fellow students, their teachers, and the school itself.

“Kindness and Wisdom” reflects the Friends belief that the Inner Light of Wisdom exists within each human being. When we seek and then express that Wisdom, it is manifested as kindness towards others.

 

Tandem Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation or national ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship or loan programs, or athletic and other school- administered programs. The school complies with the ADA to the extent possible.